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DECADES ago, Bontddu Hall Hotel in south Gwynedd attracted the wealthy and famous from across the world.
Richard Burton stayed there during filming of the The Last Days of Dolwyn and its sumputous luxury and views over the Mawddach Estuary between Dolgellau and Barmouth gained it an enviable reputation at home and abroad.
It was also once the country residence of Birmingham's Lord Mayor and a regular haunt of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
But the hotel's current owners now plan to turn it into a private residence.
If approved, the 23-bedroom hotel will follow five others in Dolgellau and Harlech to close in recent years.
The hotel remained closed over Easter, with its London-based owners Mr and Mrs Tong spending the weekend having debris cleared from the grounds and maintenance work done on the roof.
Mrs Tong confirmed her husband had submitted a planning application to convert the hotel into a private residence.
She said: "We have tried to run it as a hotel, but have been having staffing difficulties and have decided to stop trading as a hotel".
Snowdonia National Park Authority will have to decide on the application.
Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales and former hotelier Lisa Francis said: "A relative of mine got married at the Bontddu Hall Hotel in 1996. It was wonderful.
"You could say that the area was losing an amenity if it was allowed to be turned into a private residence. The owners could have sold it and given someone else a chance.
"It will be interesting to see what the Snowdonia Park planners decide".
David Clay, manager of Barmouth Publicity and Director of Mid Wales Tourism Partnership, said it was a sad state of affairs.
"The hotel has 23 rooms and can cater for between 40 and 45 people of the high spend category," he said. "It used to attract large numbers of over-seas visitors and at one time had an excellent restaurant reputation.
"An area like this cannot afford to lose such a quality hotel, although I understand that the present owners were having staffing problems."
The local community council discussed the application and decided to offer no objection to the change of use to a private residence.
Councillor Llew Williams said it was a shame such an application had been made.
"A lot people used to be employed there many years ago," he added.
A fire broke out yesterday at  Hall near  in , Wales. The historic mansion is a former hotel with high-profile guests. A rescued woman died at the scene.
Bontddu Hall, pictured in 2007.
 were called to the building, located off the  overlooking the  Estuary in , at 09:09am local time. Resources sent included  from Dolgellau, , , , and  according to a fire service statement, as well as an , high volume pump, and the service's . 

Police, the ambulance service, and an  also attended. Photos and video from the blaze showed thick smoke with flames visible at windows. The fire service indicated an investigation working alongside  was underway. Bontddu Hall recently underwent building work and scaffolding was still erected at the time of the fire.
File photo of Bontddu with the Mawddach Estuary in the background.
Bontddu Hall dates to 1873, originally a 20-room mansion, and was a country retreat for the Mayor of Birmingham called Bryn Tirion before becoming a hotel. Guests include regular visitor ex-UK Prime Minister  and actor  who stayed at Bontddu Hall while filming his 1949 movie debut ''''.

The hotel closed around fifteen years ago, with local press reporting in 2004 then-new owner Tong Yung-soo, who had purchased Bontddu Hall in 2001, and his wife applied to make it a residence once more. The move was met with what WalesOnline called "fury" from local tourism chiefs. The then-manager of Barmouth Publicity and Director of Mid Wales Tourism Partnership, David Clay, called it "a retrograde step" and said "an area like this cannot afford to lose such a quality hotel."

The Tongs indicated issues staffing the hotel, something Clay recognised, and Mr Tong had said they intended to "restore the hall to its former glory." Following the hotel's closure it has remained a private home.