A NEWPORT hotelier said he was disgusted to discover organisers of a conference to promote Wales were recommending accommodation in England to those travelling to the event.

The list of recommended places to stay during the Wales Tourism Alliance conference, in Cardiff, included four hotels in the capital, one near Pontypridd and one in Thornbury, Gloucestershire - but none in Newport.

Chris Robbins, (pictured) owner of the Newport Lodge Hotel, about 15 minutes from Cardiff, said anyone who did choose to stay at Thornbury - about an hour's drive away would have to drive past his hotel to get to the conference.

Mr Robbins, co-founder of the Newport Tourism Association, said: "The conference is meant to be about promoting Wales; this is totally ludicrous."

The conference will be held on November 3 and 4 at the Cardiff Hilton Hotel. Mr Robbins has now written to Alun Cairns AM, the Conservative spokesman on economic development at the Assembly, to look into the WTA's "promoting English hotels with Welsh taxes and development funds" and "positive discrimination policy against Welsh hotels".

But a spokesman for the WTA said it was the British Hospitality Association who had provided the list of hotels.

"They handle hotels and restaurants across the whole of Britain and were very keen to participate," he said.

"They moved their annual meeting from Mid Wales to Cardiff to coincide with our conference and provided the accommodation list which recommends a list of their key members in the area.

"One of their members in Bristol knew a couple of speakers were flying from Ireland to Bristol Airport and offered their place as a host should they want to stay the night before if their flights were coming in late.

"They couldn't use Cardiff Airport because there is only one flight a day, at lunchtime, so they would have missed some of the conference.

"The BHA has said it is more than happy for Mr Robbins to join and be a leading player." Mr Cairns said: "It's quite unacceptable that English hotels are being given priority over much more convenient Welsh hotels for an all-Wales tourism conference.

"It's scandalous that the conference is promoting hotels across the Severn Bridge that are up to an hour away from the conference base over and above South East Wales hoteliers that can offer better services at their location."