With the current protests and negative media coverage, our musicians delivering weekly sessions in the “asylum hotels” want to give you a first hand account of what life is like for people currently housed there. It is based on experience of delivering music sessions in these places, but does not aim to speak directly for the people living there.
We’re sitting in a communal space in one of the “hotels” used by the Home Office to house people seeking safety, whilst they wait for their asylum claims to be accepted or rejected. This process can take years and people live in constant fear of detention or deportation back to their country of origin where they escaped war, torture and/or persecution. A musician from our team who is himself a refugee from Syria, is playing gentle melodies on his Oud (a short necked lute instrument, originating in South West Asia and North Africa, a precursor to the guitar).
A few people are sitting around, including a mum with her toddler. She’s giving him food, he leans forward, smiling, engaged with the music. His mum laughs and comments how much he enjoys music. There are around a dozen seats in the room, they’re all filthy. The carpet is threadbare and looks like it’s not been vacuumed for quite some time. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to estimate the walls haven’t seen a fresh coat of paint for many a year. After the child has eaten, and we’ve all cleaned the floor as best we can, mum places him on the floor, so he can join in with the music.
Research shows that many people who have been forcibly displaced suffer from extreme stress and trauma. Although this is not always clearly visible, recently arrived people can appear nervous and withdrawn, in an extreme state of stress. Music has been shown to be a great way to decrease stress levels from trauma and increase wellbeing and belonging.
“Thank you so much, you changed a lot for us.” Safety-Seeker from Sudan living in an “Asylum Hotel” attending our music sessions
A group of young children enter, they sit in a circle, all picking up percussion instruments and without being prompted, start singing a song they know in Arabic. We don’t know the song, but the musicians follow the melody, and a game evolves, in which each of the children takes turns in conducting the newly formed orchestra, to play louder and faster or slower and softer, it’s fun. A few more people come and join, including the kid’s parents, who encourage us all to dance. The adults pop in and out of the room. Today there is a volunteer from one of the local refugee charities in the lobby. They fulfil a mixture of roles, advising on asylum cases and arranging welcome packs for people. Welcome packs include basics such as a toothbrush, socks and sometimes a winter coat or jumper. These are not state funded and are supported by volunteer donations. When they are available, there are SIM cards for phones, they are often in short supply and usually only available because of donations to local charities. People seeking asylum are not given mobile phones (1). Very occasionally old phones are donated, although this is exceptionally rare.
“The way you treat us and try to understand our music is really nice. I really appreciate that” Safety-Seeker from Iran living in “Asylum Hotel”
Some of the people arriving only know a little English. In this particular hotel there are currently weekly English classes, run by volunteers; these can be sporadic, depending on people’s work patterns and availability. This is not universal across the UK. The music session ends up being quite a big group, with a range of languages spoken and sung including Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish and Tigrinya. We play together to co-create new songs, or make new versions of older songs to include the different languages in the room.
Watch above for a heart-warming music video of the song Kota Bamara- Big Lion, written by our participants temporarily housed in a ‘asylum hotel’ a few years ago.
Very often, people who’ve been in the hotel longer, will welcome newly arrived people and help them feel included. Music sessions are a safe space, where everyone can feel comfortable. The mum and her young child stay for the whole session, she claps along to the music and chats, the baby picks up various instruments and waves them to the music.
There is a common myth that these hotels are ‘four star’ or luxury hotels. There is no published criteria over which hotels are to be used to house safety seekers, and while some may have been rated as four stars when previously in public use, this is far from the reality we see today. Both workers in these hotels, and their residents have commented that hotels are in a poor state. Often dirty, sometimes with out of date food and low hygiene standards. The one we’re working in today, has many of its windows on the lower floors boarded up. Inside it’s dirty and rundown.
A recent survey by RAMFEL of people living in hotels found that:
- 49% said their room was overcrowded, with whole families of six in a single space
- 80% said the food was “really bad,” and largely inedible
- 34% had a medical condition or disability, yet none received necessary adjustments
- 75% had raised concerns about conditions in the hotels, but in most cases no corrective action was taken
These are the voices you seldom hear. People seeking safety are trapped in hotel rooms for months, often years. These lengthy stays are ruining people’s lives, whilst lining the pockets of others.
Under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, Britain has a legal obligation to house people while they wait for asylum claims to be processed. Historically, this has meant long-term, private, rented accommodation, self catering in houses, flats or houses of multiple occupation. Local councils were responsible for housing people and this was referred to as ‘dispersal accommodation’
From 2020, there was a shift. Responsibility for housing people, became the responsiblity of the Home Office. The practice was introduced by the last Conservative government during COVID lockdown, to facilitate social distancing. Since, there has been a significant increase in the use of hotels to house people. The policy has continued under Labour, however between 2023 and 2024, across the UK, the use of hotels as asylum accommodation decreased. The only exception being London, where usage has increased. (2) In July 2025, Jonathan Darling, Professor in Human Geography at Durham University reported (3)
“In 2024, hotel accommodation for asylum seekers cost on average £158 per night. Dispersal accommodation, on the other hand, cost on average £20 per night. The total asylum accommodation system cost £4.7 billion, £3.1 billion of which went on hotels. While costly to taxpayers, this is highly profitable for those offering accommodation.”
In 2025 Clearsprings founder and director Graham King entered the Sunday Times rich list, with a net worth of £1.009 Billion. (4)
Back in the hotel, the session is coming to an end, it’s been busy. One of the children doesn’t speak the same language as the rest of the group, and has no English, it’s nice to see the others recognise this and make sure he is included as they play together. As we wrap up, everyone is helping pack away and put the chairs back in their place. The parents were happy, commenting there is very little for the children to do here, and it was a good bit of exercise for them.
The government must end the use of hotels, set real standards, and bring asylum housing back under public control. While families live in crowded, mouldy hotel rooms, and are served inedible food, three big companies pocket millions. It’s time to end the use of asylum hotels and invest in real homes, not corporate shareholders.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Please take 5 seconds to write to your MP to oppose the raft of draconian and cruel new policies that risk eroding refugees’ rights and feed division and hostility in our communities
- To hear directly from people living in hotels, the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit have shared peoples experiences in a powerful statement which you can read here
- To talk factually with people about these topics, read this guide on “Changing the conversation on asylum housing” from Freedom from Torture“
References
1: https://fullfact.org/immigration/former-employee-hotel-asylum-support-mobile-phones
2: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/asylum-accommodation-in-the-uk
3: https://theconversation.com/how-the-uk-became-dependent-on-asylum-hotels-258767
MAKE NOISE ♮ CREATE PEACE
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