Southampton Restaurant Closes After 20 Years Over Damages From Hotel

(SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM) — Ceno Bar and Restaurant closed on January 1, 2026, after more than 20 years in business, blaming what it called “ongoing damage caused by the hotel residents” housed next door in an asylum-seeker hotel run under the United Kingdom Home Office system.

Restaurant’s account of the closure

The restaurant’s spokesperson said it had become “impossible to operate” because of “ongoing issues” linked to the adjacent Highfield House Hotel. The account listed several specific problems:

• Damage allegations: The restaurant said there was ongoing damage caused by the hotel residents.
• Access problems: Owners said the hotel owners locked the car park for months, preventing customer access and reducing foot traffic.
• Reduced trade: The hotel stopped serving the public in the last five years, which the owners said dramatically lowered passing trade and made the business harder to sustain.
• Safety and well-being concerns: The restaurant cited risks to staff and patrons due to weekly anti-immigration protests outside the hotel.

“It had become ‘impossible to operate’ because of ‘ongoing issues’ linked to the adjacent Highfield House Hotel,” the restaurant said.

Chronology of the Highfield House — Ceno Bar dispute

Since 2020

Highfield House Hotel has housed “more than 100 asylum seekers since 2020.”

Last five years

The hotel “stopped serving the public in the last five years,” which the restaurant said reduced passing trade.

January 1, 2026

Ceno Bar and Restaurant closed on “January 1, 2026” after “more than 20 years” in business.

January 5, 2026

Home Office statement (Jan 5, 2026): “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. This government will close every asylum hotel,” and said work is underway to bring forward “more suitable sites” to “cut asylum costs.”

Context: Highfield House Hotel and local protests

• The restaurant operated on Highfield Lane, Portswood, Southampton, next to Highfield House Hotel, which the Home Office has used to house more than 100 asylum seekers since 2020.
• The site has seen regular demonstrations, including protests by a group described as “Southampton Patriots” and counter-protests by “Southampton Stand Up to Racism.”
• Each side accuses the other of escalating tensions. Supporters of the protests point to the restaurant’s closure as evidence of community decline around the hotel, while counter-protesters say the closure reflects the “climate of hostility” created by the protests themselves.

Home Office response and national framing

On January 5, 2026, a Home Office spokesperson responded, placing the Southampton closure into a broader political debate over use of hotels for asylum seekers. Key points from the Home Office statement:

• Strong language: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. This government will close every asylum hotel.”
• Policy direction: The department said work is well underway to bring forward more suitable sites to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.
• Coordination claims: The Home Office said it is “working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government” to accelerate delivery of alternative accommodation.

“We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. This government will close every asylum hotel,” the Home Office spokesperson said.

The statement did not directly address the restaurant’s complaint about the locked car park.

Wider political and international resonance

• The Home Office framed the Southampton case as part of a national push to end use of asylum hotels and move people into alternative sites.
• The department tied the shift to cost control, saying ending hotel use would help “cut asylum costs.”
• The story circulated beyond the UK, including in the United States, where it was referenced in broader immigration debates despite being a local dispute between a British restaurant and a Home Office-contracted hotel.

U.S. reaction (separate but cited in coverage)

As of January 6, 2026, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials had not issued a statement on the Southampton case specifically. However, U.S. officials have made separate remarks about hotels and enforcement in other contexts:

• DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a January 5, 2026 statement about a different incident involving a hotel in Minnesota, said:
  > “DHS and ICE haven’t heard from [the hotel operator]. While for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint, DHS has surged law enforcement and has already made more than 1,000 arrests. The American people deserve answers.”
• McLaughlin had also linked hotel and hospitality settings to broader enforcement priorities on June 17, 2025, saying:
  > “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers [and] destabilize labor markets.”

These U.S. statements were not about Southampton, and no U.S. agency said it had any role in the UK case.

Local dynamics and competing narratives

The Southampton dispute centers on several documented facts and competing interpretations:

• Documented elements:
• Restaurant closure date: January 1, 2026.
• Hotel role: Highfield House has housed asylum seekers for several years under Home Office contracts.
• Public statements: Both the restaurant and the Home Office issued statements explaining their perspectives.

• Competing narratives about causes of closure:

1. The restaurant attributed the failure to a combination of damage claims, access restrictions (locked car park), and safety concerns related to protests.
2. Protest supporters say the presence of the hotel and its residents drove community decline and business loss.
3. Counter-protesters argue the “climate of hostility” from protests contributed to the business closure.
4. Broader economic pressures were also mentioned as possible contributing factors.

The restaurant did not attribute the closure to a single cause, instead citing a cumulative effect of multiple issues over time.

Key takeaways and critical details

• Ceno Bar and Restaurant closed on January 1, 2026, after more than 20 years in business.
• The restaurant cited damage, car-park access restrictions, and safety concerns from weekly protests as reasons for closure.
• Highfield House Hotel has housed more than 100 asylum seekers since 2020 under Home Office arrangements.
• The Home Office responded on January 5, 2026 by pledging to end use of asylum hotels and find alternative accommodation, while not addressing the car-park complaint directly.
• The case has become a focal point in local and online debates about asylum policy, protests, and the impact of asylum hotels on communities.