A spokesman for Le Méridien rejected the claims. He said: 'As far as we are concerned talks are carrying on.' Le Méridien reached an agreement with its lenders earlier this month by way of a payment of £4m to the Royal Bank of Scotland, which it owes £20m in rent, in return for an extension of time for negotiations.Talks are now expected to end this Friday.

Le Méridien, which has 135 hotels around the world, was placed under control of its bankers in April after a collapse in trading left the group with debts of £1b and a value of just £700m.