A BASINGSTOKE hotel will close until February 2021, it has been announced.

The Hampshire Court, in Chineham, has confirmed it will not be open to guests and diners for the next four months, but will remain open for leisure club users.

It is understood by the Gazette that this temporary closure is due to the financial and logistical burden of the coronavirus pandemic and related government restrictions on the hotel.

A spokesperson for the hotel said: “The Hampshire Court Hotel will be temporarily closing until 28 February 2021.

“The health club and pool remain open for all members.”

The hotel closed on March 23 when the country went into lockdown, but reopened to guest on Saturday, July 4, and has been operating since then.

Speaking to the Gazette earlier this month about the difficulties faced by the industry, manager Steve Lawson said the hotel had managed to scale down its workforce, reschedule weddings and events, and continue operating in a Covid-safe way. However, he admitted the pandemic had “taken its toll” and that so much was so uncertain.

“It is a difficult time, and I have never managed something like this. Every day is a learning curve. Things are changing every day,” he said.

“The business will come back, it’s just about how quickly and how we think differently to survive throughout that.”