A couple have branded their Skegness holiday a 'disaster' after paying £545 to stay in a hotel they claim 'wasn't fit for humans'. Glenys Launders, 75, was with husband Graham, 80, on August 4 to enjoy a five-day break with their family on the east coast.
The Nottinghamshire couple were staying at the Coasters Hotel on North Parade, which Mrs Launders had booked after looking at several options online and finding positive reviews. But she said they encountered problems with the room as soon as they went in and say they have been unable to get a full refund, NottinghamshireLive reports.
She said: "We arrived in Skegness at about 4.30pm and spoke to the lady at reception who greeted us and said that, to get to our room, we would have to go around a corner and up two flights of stairs. My husband is disabled and, even though there was a stairlift for the first flight, there wasn't for the second and so that was difficult to manage. We eventually got to our room and when you opened the door the smell just hit you straight away.
"It was a very fusty and dirty smell and it was as if the room hadn't been touched in years. We started unpacking and I had to actually clean the fridge in the room myself before I put anything in there.
"There was a bus stop opposite the hotel so the area was perfect and we went out after unpacking and we thought we'd tell reception about the room on our way - but we got downstairs and it was already shut. When we eventually got back later on the smell was still there, even though I'd opened the windows, and so I squirted two bottles of air freshener out that I'd bought from the shop."
The couple were on a big family holiday. One of their sons owns a caravan in Skegness, whilst another was staying at Butlin's during that week,
Speaking of the problems Mrs Launders said she and her husband faced in the room, she explained the bed was pressed up against a wall, saying there were stained pillows and that she noticed greasy kitchenware and unclean cooking facilities. She said: "It wasn't until the Saturday morning that I actually managed to see someone at reception.
"I showed her pictures of everything, including the toaster which was filthy, and when I asked if she would make toast in it, she said that she wouldn't. But there was no offer of a new toaster or for the room to be properly cleaned, she just explained to me that they had been short staffed.
"I was really upset and I was in tears when I was talking to her because of how bad the room was. It wasn't fit for humans and it was just a disaster.
"There was nowhere else for us to stay because there were either no vacancies or places were too expensive but the hotel told us that they would sort out a refund for us when we left. We decided to leave a day early and, even though we'd been told that a refund would be sorted, they changed their tune.
"I asked the woman at reception if she wanted my card and she told me 'no' and to sort it out with Booking.com who we had booked it through. I found her nasty and the whole thing just spoiled our holiday."
Mr Launders added: "This had all been arranged as a nice family getaway because our sons were in Skegness and they said that we should join them for five days. That's what it was supposed to be but our experience at the hotel meant that we didn't get that nice holiday."
The manager at the Coasters Hotel said that she did not want to comment on the state of the room itself and whether it was up to their usual standards. On the issue of the refund, the manager said that she hadn't been asked for one "in the correct manner".
Mrs Launders insists that they approached hotel staff properly for the refund. Booking.com has confirmed that the couple have been refunded for the night they didn't stay at the hotel.
In a statement, the company said: "Our primary aim at Booking.com is to facilitate smooth and enjoyable travel experiences, so we were disappointed to hear about this customer's stay and will be refunding them for the unstayed nights. We will also be working with this accommodation partner to ensure this issue has been addressed to ensure future guests have a good experience."
