A hotel has closed its doors and put up a poster telling would-be guests to contact insolvency practitioners.

The Whitcliffe Hotel in Cleckheaton shut suddenly and Companies House now has the business listed as being in liquidation.

The 40-bed wedding venue’s website has also been shut down with only a simple message to customers, which reads: “We are sorry but the Whitcliffe Hotel is closing for business from January 4, 2014.

“We should like to take this opportunity to thank all our guests who visited the hotel while we have been here. Your custom has been greatly appreciated.”

Attempts to call the business lead to an answering machine message indicating someone will return calls.

News of the Prospect Road business’s closure surprised ward councillor Kath Pinnock.

“That’s terrible,” she said, adding that she had been to Christmas parties, wedding receptions and Liberal Democrat meetings there. “It’s a well-used venue. That’s awful news.”

But the vice-president of Spenborough Chamber of Trade, Simon Pawson, said the business community in Cleckheaton was not taken aback.

“It’s been established for quite a while with the same owners and all of a sudden, and we’re not sure why, it’s nose-dived,” he said. “We had a chamber meeting and it didn’t seem to be a shock to anybody.”

The three-star hotel had a restaurant, three conference rooms catering for 120 people, and a restaurant.

Companies House has the Whitcliffe Hotel listed as being care of Wilkinson and Partners, based at Cottingley Business Park. The company confirmed it acted as accountants for the hotel, but had no-one available to speak about the current situation.

Rushtons Accountants Insolvency Practitioners, based in Shipley, are acting for the hotel and a meeting of creditors was held on Monday at its offices in Ashley Lane.

The Telegraph & Argus made repeated attempts to speak to Rushtons, but no-one was available to discuss the outcome of Monday’s meeting or explain what people with rooms or functions booked at the hotel should do next.