Hotel tycoon dubbed «The King of Asylum» makes record profits as Braverman battles a migrant backlog

Alex Langsam's hospitality business has generated almost £100,000 a day in net income over the past year, according to his accounts. Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Hotel tycoon 'King of Asylum' is making record profits capitalizing on the UK's migration crisis.

Britannia Hotels, which are estimated to accept almost one in ten asylum seekers in the UK have earned nearly £100,000 a day for octogenarian owner Alex Langsam over the past year.

The company's pre-tax profit of £33.4m as of March 2022 is Britannia's best earnings since Mr Langsum founded the chain in the 1970s.

Business Mr Langsam is one of the main beneficiaries. the UK's small boat crisis by securing lucrative contracts to house migrants in its 60 hotels. It was claimed that at least 17 hotels in Britain were booked by the government.

Crossing by small boats

In November, Britannia was named the worst hotel chain for the tenth consecutive year. Survey conducted by a group of consumers. In the survey, respondents described the company as «tired and nondescript» with a feeling of «roughness and readiness.»

Reports filed last week for the year ended March 31, 2022 showed turnover. £118 million. The pre-tax profit earned during this period beat the previous record of £33.3m in 2016.

“This result represents a return to pre-Covi 19 performance levels achieved during a period of challenging trading conditions that continue to limit growth opportunities,” reports said.

In recent months, Britannia has added first-class hotels in Scarborough and Bradford.

The company was founded in 1976 when Langsam bought the 100-room Country House Hotel in South Manchester. The expansion came in 1982 when British Rail sold its hospitality division, British Transport Hotels, to Mr Langsam.

Representatives for Britannia Hotels and its owner did not respond to a request for comment.

Record profits come as Home Secretary Swella Braverman battles the migration crisis. The government is scrambling to honor Rishi Sunak's promise to «stop boats carrying illegal migrants across the English Channel.»

Plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda have been delayed by lawsuits, though ministers hope first flights may to begin this summer.

Meanwhile, plans to use large barges to house hundreds of asylum seekers have also run into difficulties.

The Telegraph reported earlier this month. that Ms Braverman's plan to put hundreds of migrants on a barge at the Royal Docks near London City Airport's runway has been blocked by local businesses and the capital's mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Proposals to use a giant cruise ship to house asylum seekers near Liverpool was also scrapped after opposition from the port operator.