ONE of Pembrokeshire’s largest hotels, which was bought by a property development company two years ago, has gone into administration.

Tenby’s Fourcroft Hotel was one of several acquired by Northern Powerhouse Developments (NPD) to add to its portfolio of properties, which also includes the Fishguard Bay Hotel.

NPD reportedly suffered a £14m operational loss last year, with its boss, entrepreneur Gavin Woodhouse, recently in the news as he loses control of his business empire.

This includes the proposed £200m Afan Valley Adventure Resort near Port Talbot.

Following a High Court hearing a month ago, insolvency practitioners from Duff & Phelps Ltd were granted powers to remove Woodhouse as a director of his subsidiary companies, over which they had already been appointed as interim managers.

A notice in the official public record, The Gazette, today (Thursday) appoints Philip Duffy and Sarah Bell from Duff & Phelps as joint administrators of Fourcroft Hotel (Tenby) Limited.

The registered office is given as a business park in Elland, West Yorkshire, which is the headquarters of Northern Powerhouse Developments.

Northern Powerhouse Developments was founded by Gavin Woodhouse to focus on investment in the leisure and tourism industry.

According to ITV News, at the High Court hearing, Justice Alastair Norris was told that Woodhouse had been withdrawing tens of thousands of pounds from a bank account he had kept secret from administrators.

The insolvency practitioners had already been given control of five of Woodhouse’s companies at High Court hearings earlier in July, taking away his powers as a director.

An ITV News/the Guardian investigation had previously revealed that many of Woodhouse’s projects to build care homes and acquire and refurbish hotels had stalled, raising questions about what has happened to millions of pounds he raised from amateur investors.

The seafront 40-bedroomed Fourcroft, which had been in the ownership of the same family for over 70 years, was bought by NPD for an undisclosed sum in January 2017.

Gavin Woodhouse said at the time: “This is the first of four hotels we are acquiring and opening in South Wales to complement our existing hotels up and down the coastline of the United Kingdom.”

“The Fourcroft will be the sister hotel to the Llandudno Bay Hotel and Spa and part of the group’s premier hotel collection.

“We are keen to compliment the local businesses and hope to be part of the future success of Tenby and the surrounding areas.

The following July, the company added the Fishguard Bay Hotel to its portfolio. The 60-bedroomed hotel had also been in long-time family ownership since 1958.

Labour's Parliamentary candidate Marc Tierney said:

"Overlooking North Beach, The Fourcroft has been part of the fabric of Tenby for generations. I am sorry to hear the company has run into difficulty and has entered administration. My concern is for the staff and for those who have a booking in the weeks ahead. I have been in contact with the administrators and I have been assured that the company is continuing to trade at this time."