'The asylum king' worth £400m whose made fortune through controversial migrant hotels

A hotel tycoon dubbed the UK's "asylum king" has amassed a £400m fortune by housing migrants in some of Britain's most criticised accommodation - despite rarely engaging with MPs, campaigners, and even property developers. Alex Langsam, 87, is the founder and chief executive of Britannia Hotels, which has consistently ranked as the UK's worst hotel chain in consumer group Which?'s annual surveys, topping the list 11 years in a row.

The company has nonetheless secured lucrative Government contracts to house asylum seekers at more than 60 sites. The Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, London, is the latest believed to have been commissioned by the Home Office as "contingency accommodation" for small boat arrivals. Security fencing has gone up around the building, drawing protests from locals.

Mr Langsam, who lives in a gated £3.4m mansion in Greater Manchester, has largely avoided public scrutiny despite the growing controversy.

He rarely speaks to the media, gives few interviews, and reportedly does not respond to political correspondence.

Efforts by MPs to raise concerns about the conditions inside his hotels - and their wider impact on local communities - have largely been met with silence.

Labour MP Chris Webb, whose Blackpool South constituency includes the Metropole Hotel, told the Telegraph: "I've had concerns about the hotel for a number of years, even before it became an asylum location. It's been left to go to ruin."

He cited issues including damp, mould and leaking water. "We've seen 520 people in there at times, predominantly families and young people," he said.

The Government contractor Serco, which manages the Metropole, has denied reports of drainage or sewage problems.

Langsam, who was born in Austria just before the Nazi annexation, fled to the UK with his family as a child.

In a rare interview with The Guardian in 2011, he acknowledged his background as a refugee and said the family narrowly escaped the Holocaust, saying: "They would probably have gone to the gas chambers."

A 2012 court judgment revealed that Mr Langsam was confirmed by the Inland Revenue in 1999 as non-domiciled for tax purposes, on the grounds that he retained his Austrian domicile through his father.

Former Conservative minister Dr James Davies, along with ex-MPs Sally-Ann Hart and Damien Moore, called for an inquiry last year after Pontins holiday parks owned by Britannia in their constituencies were abruptly shut down.

Dr Davies said: "They invested no money in it and there were persistent complaints. As an MP I tried again and still had no replies."

Britannia acquired Pontins in 2011 for around £20m, promising investment and job protection. But Dr Davies said the Prestatyn Sands site remains empty and is "falling into greater disrepair".

The Home Office said it was working to reduce reliance on asylum hotels, which at one point cost nearly £9m a day. A spokesman said: "There are now fewer hotels open than there were before the election."

Mr Langsam, who studied economics at Aberystwyth University and once failed his O-level maths, worked as an estate agent before moving into property. He bought his first hotel in 1976 and expanded rapidly, acquiring listed buildings across major UK cities.

In a 2010 legal battle, Mr Langsam sued former solicitors over a failed claim against his accountants. Though he won £1m in the first case, he lost a second case in which he argued the payout should have been triple.

Judges described him as "a very wealthy man with a large personality" and "an astute businessman".

Despite criticism over the conditions in his hotels, insiders describe Mr Langsam as "entirely self-made" and "incredibly hardworking". However, others point out that he's profited handsomely from Britain's broken asylum system, while the properties he owns continue to deteriorate.

Although he formally stepped down as a director of Britannia Hotels in December 2024, he remains closely tied to the company he founded nearly 50 years ago. While no longer listed on Companies House as holding an official role, he is still widely believed to be the ultimate owner and controlling force behind the business.

His correspondence address is still linked to the group's Altrincham headquarters, reinforcing the view that Langsam's departure from the board was administrative rather than substantive.

The Express has contacted Britannia Hotels for comment.