A plush hotel worth £16 million has told a small charity it will only refund its £1,000 deposit if it gets confirmation “there will be no bad press”.

The Jewish Deaf Association cancelled a May anniversary bash at the Hunton Park Hotel on February 22, following which the hotel kept the “non-refundable” deposit.

Helen Dryer, owner of the event’s catering company, unsuccessfully lobbied the hotel before turning to the Watford Observer – but soon after we contacted Hunton Park the charity intervened.

In an email to the paper, its chief executive said: “The Hunton Park Hotel will refund our deposit of £1,000 subject to confirmation that there will be no bad press.

“Would it be possible for you to confirm this to me in writing so I can send it on to them.”

Asked if that was true, a hotel spokesperson said: “The general manager has been in discussions with the association and has made an offer to refund the deposit which should normally be non-refundable.

“But to date, we have not heard back from them directly.”

The spokesperson was asked to explicitly clarify what it was demanding. They did not respond.

Ms Dryer said: “It was wrong to keep the charity’s deposit, but to now lean on them and try to guilt trip the press into keeping quiet is grubby in my opinion.

“The charity gave well over two months’ notice and it’s a lot of money for them. A big hotel should just do the right thing and refund them.”

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The luxurious site, which sits on a 22-acre estate near Abbots Langley, has 62 bedrooms and was bought this year after being advertised for £16 million.

The charity initially booked after visiting, but caterer Ms Dryer then visited in February and raised concerns over no provision of water and toilets near the marquee, which she claimed made staging the charity’s event impossible.

It was then cancelled and eventually took place elsewhere.

A hotel spokesperson said the industry has been hit by cancellations and re-bookings but the charity’s one was within the 61-90 days’ required notice period.

They added: “With many of the events, we take into consideration the client needs and as the booking was not only for charity but being held on a Sunday, naturally we offered a 50% reduction on the normal rate so the contracted amount was for £2,500 as it was a dry hire event.

“Once the event was cancelled, we also accommodated them by waving the 80% cancellation terms fee.” 

The charity, based in North Finchley, has been asked for comment.

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