Visitors to Belfast were left "stranded" in the city with no accommodation after a property management business ceased operations. Bee Hosting offered about 50 apartments in the Obel Tower complex in the city centre.
Customers said they were not told of any problems and described arriving at their booked accommodation only to find the building shut. The business, which faces being struck off the register by Companies House after failing to file accounts, has been approached for comment.
The apartment accommodation was advertisted on the Booking.com travel website
Bee Hosting described its apartments at Donegall Quay as "high-quality" accommodation that offered a "clean, spacious and excellent-value base in the heart of Belfast". The business ceased trading in May, a former employee told NI.
But some customers who booked stays through the online travel firm Booking.com said they received no notifications of any issues. They described continuing to receive reminder messages about their upcoming trips, including options to pay for parking.
How were visitors affected?
Several visitors said they arrived to find the apartments unavailable and had to make alternative plans at short notice. In some cases, they also said there had been no warning from the booking platform or the accommodation provider.
Kylie Hallatt's two daughters - 24-year-old Jess and 15-year-old Lucie - had travelled from Sheffield in early July to see the Irish singer Cian Ducrot performing in Belfast.
The 43-year-old said the pair had booked and paid to stay in an Obel apartment, but arrived that evening to find the building closed.
"I got a phone call from Jess saying they had been told by someone that the business had gone bust," she said.
Jess Hallatt travelled with her sister to see Irish singer Cian Ducrot, pictured right, performing in Belfast
Hallatt described feeling "initially panic", adding: "It was my two girls - I've got no way of getting to them."
She said they were "luckily" able to book alternative accommodation, and eventually received a refund from Booking.com.
"It was the fact that they had been left stranded - no communication," she added.
"It was a crazy experience for them as well as for me. I was fuming."
Brendan O'Kane and Fionnuala Donaghey say it was a disheartening situation
Fionnuala Donaghey had booked a two-night stay with her partner Brendan O'Kane, sister and her husband.
"It was all locked up," the 48-year-old from Londonderry said.
The four had driven to Belfast to see Canadian singer Michael Bublé headline Belsonic at Ormeau Park earlier in July.
They secured last-minute alternative accommodation, but Donaghey described the situation as "so disheartening".
"You just wanted to get in, leave your bags," she said.
"Because it was so short notice for the other apartment you were running around."
What did other travellers say?
Other groups said they also arrived to find no one available and no warning given in advance. Some said they were concerned they would be left without anywhere to stay.
Ciarán Murphy and five friends had travelled from Dublin last Friday to take part in Belfast Pride celebrations.
The 32-year-old podcaster said when they arrived at the apartments, "it looked like nobody had been there for a while".
"We were kind of worried that we were going to be stuck," he added.
"Luckily we were able to find something at short notice, but it was really just good fortune that that happened."
"If it's a case that accommodation has closed down very recently and things have to be cancelled, you need to give people fair notice of that."
Murphy said his faith in online accommodation platforms "is definitely shaken" and said the business running the apartments had "completely neglected their duty".
How did Booking.com respond?
Booking.com said anyone with a future stay booked at the property had been contacted. The company said accommodation providers using its platform must keep availability up to date.
"When a property chooses to list on Booking.com it agrees to our terms and conditions, which includes the requirement to keep their room availability up to date," they said.
"If an accommodation can no longer host guests, we provide clear guidance and simple processes so they can easily close reservations on our platform.
"We can confirm that anyone with a future stay booked at this property has been contacted."
Bee Hosting Property Management, which is based in England, was approached for comment.
Its registered owner is a businessman who acts as a director for dozens of companies from a serviced office in a business park in Suffolk.
Records on Companies House show its latest accounts remain "overdue", while on Tuesday a compulsory strike-off notice was filed.
This could lead to the company being removed from the official register, meaning it would be legally shut down and stop trading.
The Obel apartment block at Donegall Quay in Belfast city centre
Who previously ran the Obel apartments?
The Obel accommodation was previously run by Dream Apartments - a Belfast-based company founded by Tom Smyth, who is also known as a motivational speaker.
His company is understood to be the leaseholder for the building, while lettings management was more recently run by Bee Hosting.
A spokesperson for Dream Apartments said the company "no longer operates and has not managed the serviced apartments at Obel Tower since January 2025".
"Bee Hosting is a separate company with its own directors, management and staff," they added.
"Dream Apartments has no involvement in the operation of Bee Hosting or in any bookings made through that business."
What does Tourism Northern Ireland say?
Tourism Northern Ireland said its regulatory role was to "certify and inspect tourism accommodation premises to ensure they meet the required minimum standards".
"Matters relating to contractual agreements, including booking terms and conditions, fall outside our legislative remit," it said.
The tourism body advised anyone seeking refunds to contact the booking platform through which the reservation was made in the first instance, or the accommodation provider directly.
