Millionaire boss of travel firm that left 100,000 customers out of pocket now running hotel in Scotland
Paul Evans, 58, snapped up the Torrs Warren retreat less than two years after his Lowcostholidays business collapsed with debts of £25million
THE millionaire boss of a travel firm that left more than 100,000 customers out of pocket when it went bust is running a country house hotel in Scotland.
Paul Evans, 58, snapped up the Torrs Warren retreat less than two years after his Lowcostholidays business collapsed with debts of £25million.
The £70-a-night hotel in Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire, boasts eight rooms and two suites, and is said to have been tastefully renovated with a tartan theme.
Its website states: “This country house hotel, under new management, has been quietly upgraded in the last few months.”
But a source claims Evans keeps his past quiet after his previous venture’s high-profile meltdown.
They said: “He is quite cagey about who he is and tells people he was in America for a while.
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"It’s so wrong when there are all those people who are still out of pocket thanks to this man.”
The source added: “Paul doesn’t tell anyone who he really is.
“He did a talk to a pensioners’ group at the local library and told them about himself and how he went to Eton. But he failed to mention his time as the boss of Lowcostholidays.
“There are people in the local area who were affected by the company folding — and word is starting to get around about who he really is.”
Former employee Ellie Mepstead, 34, lost her job and holiday overnight when the firm went bust.
She said: “It’s truly shocking to hear Paul Evans is back working in the tourism industry again — after everything we’ve been through.
“It’s no wonder he’s keeping his past quiet — he left us in a really bad way.
“There’s never been a ‘sorry’. It took a lot for me to get back on my feet.
"It’s been very difficult, and I know some people were up to £5,000 out of pocket.
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“He didn’t care about anything apart from him and his money.”
Ellie, from Derby, said she clawed back £1,500 through her bank but lost out on around £3,000 in wages and flight fees.
Electrician Charlie Durn, 21, of Gloucester, lost £300 from his holiday to Majorca.
After hearing that Evans was back in business, he said: “It’s not right — it’s a bit of a joke really.”
Despite annual sales of £500million, Lowcostholidays hit the wall in July 2016.
Its failure affected 137,000 customers — 27,000 who were travelling at the time and 110,000 due to go on holiday.
Customers were unable to claim back their cash because Evans moved Lowcostholidays to Palma, Majorca, in 2013, allowing the company to legally dodge the Atol protection scheme.
The firm was still offering bargain getaways hours before it imploded — after which Evans went to ground.
Before the collapse, he lived and worked in Spain with wife Patricia, commercial director of Lowcost Travel Group.
He sent his son to the £32,000-a-year elite Charterhouse School and reportedly sold his London home for £2million in 2015.
Administrators said IT problems were the key issue for the failure of Lowcostholidays.
Speaking a week after the collapse, Evans said: “I am devastated for customers, travel agents, my staff and their families.
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"We failed at an incredibly unfortunate time and I am terribly sorry.”
When approached for comment, Evans said: “I’ve got nothing to say at all, thank you.”
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