In 1939, Butlins made its first foray into the hotel business at the Skegness holiday camp. Nearly a decade later, in June 1948, the company opened its second hotel at the Ayr camp. The Butlins Heads of Ayr Hotel, situated on the main road near the camp entrance, boasted 74 bedrooms and quickly became a landmark for holidaymakers.
The building itself had an unusual origin. Constructed during the war as part of the naval depot that once occupied the site, it was repurposed after 1945 to serve as a hotel. Post-war shortages meant much of the material for the conversion was salvaged from other on-site buildings slated for demolition, while the cocktail bar and much of the ornate woodwork were reclaimed from scrapped ships.
Advertised as ‘The Show-Place of the Scottish Coast’ the Heads of Ayr Hotel had its own bar and restaurant along with a large ballroom. During the early years it hosted dancing six nights a week. The ballroom also became popular for large gatherings and conferences and 600 people could sit down for dinner.
The hotel was designed for those who didn’t want to stay for an entire week, as the camp only allowed bookings for seven days. Additionally, the hotel served a practical function as a place where day visitors to the camp could purchase drinks, thanks to its regular pub license. Both day visitors and hotel guests were not technically allowed to buy drinks within the camp itself due to its club license. A rule that was regularly broken.
In 1951 the US Air Force had 31 rooms reserved exclusively for American military personnel traveling to and from Prestwick airport.
Trouble at the Heads of Ayr Hotel
Unfortunately the hotel soon gained a reputation for trouble. Just a year after opening a large drunken brawl saw tables and chairs being thrown, windows smashed and barmaids “sheltering below the counter”. It became a popular destination for coach loads of young people traveling down from Glasgow.
The deputy chief constable of Ayrshire later stated that “hardly a day went by without someone appearing at Ayr sheriff court on some charge or other resulting from an incident at the hotel”.
Numerous other disturbances followed, and by 1958—just ten years after it opened—Butlins decided to close the hotel. The alcohol license was voluntarily surrendered, but the company issued a curious statement, claiming the closure was due to the “enormous success” of the holiday camp rather than acknowledging the real reason behind the decision.
The building was then incorporated into the camp, with the hotel bar remaining closed. The hotel rooms were repurposed for staff accommodation, and the ballroom continued to host dinners and other large gatherings, albeit without alcohol. It became a popular venue for kids events. In 1959, a chairlift was built connecting the building to the rest of the camp.
In 1968, Butlins applied to reinstate the alcohol license, arguing that 36,000 annual day visitors could not buy alcohol in the camp due to the club license. Butlins had no interest in reopening it as a hotel but only wanted to reopen the bar for day visitors. Despite police objections and concerns about increased “weapon-carrying hooligans,” the license was reinstated.
But the hotel didn’t last much longer and it was demolished in the 1970s The chairlift remained in use until 1998.
The Skegness hotel was more successful and remained open until 1974 when it too was closed and merged with the rest of the camp.
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