The number has fallen to its lowest level for 18 months, according to the data, with 30,657 people staying in such accommodation while they were awaiting a decision on their asylum claims at the end of December.
Contrary to popular belief, not even one of these people are temporarily housed in a hotel in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Hotels across the county house zero asylum seekers.
The issue of people being housed in hotels rose to prominence last year with protests outside some sites.
Labour has pledged to no longer be using asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, which would be 2029, if not earlier.
There was speculation that the Holiday Inn in Rhoose was being used to house asylum seekers, when the site was in fact being by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as temporary accommodation for Entitled Persons (EPs) from Afghanistan on a short-term basis.
The first of several protests took place outside the hotel in August 2025 in response to the misinformation that spread online and saw a large police presence with tensions rising dramatically between protesters and counter-protesters.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council were quick to refute claims that the hotel was housing illegal migrants or asylum seekers, saying: “As EPs, (Entitled Persons) this group have the right to live in the UK following their efforts supporting the British military in Afghanistan.
“These households are not illegal immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees. The UK Government has granted them indefinite leave to remain in this country, which is now regarded as their home.
“This temporary arrangement, lasting up to nine months, is in place while they are helped to find more permanent accommodation across the UK.”
The number of asylum seekers in hotels across the country peaked at 56,018 at the end of September 2023 under the then-Conservative government but dropped to a record low of 29,561 at the end of June 2024, just before the general election.
The latest data from the Home Office showed December levels were 15% lower than the previous quarter at the end of September when there were 36,273 people in hotels.
