An Edinburgh family has hit out after a 'nightmare' stay at a hotel in Blackpool over the Easter holidays.
The Blackpool Promenade Hotel, which has been in the media spotlight in recent weeks due to complaints made by guests, has once again been the centre of claims made by a local family.
The family, who wish to remain anonymous, checked in with their seven-year-old son on April 6 for four nights, and say they couldn't believe what they were seeing after stepping foot inside.
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Stairs collapsing, damp walls, filthy toilets and mushrooms growing were all among claims made by the family who were looking forward to a rare break with their son during the holidays.
After booking the hotel through Booking.com, the family say they were initially offered a 50 percent refund, which has now been reduced to just 15 per cent, which is "hardly worth it."
A couple from Paisley checked into the hotel on April 9 and walked straight back out due to the condition the building was in. Booking.com has since confirmed that the hotel has been suspended from their site while they "review the issues raised."
Since several stories were seen in the media reflecting the Paisley couple's experience, a spokesperson for the hotel played down the claims and insisted the images were not a true reflection of the building.
They said due to work to repair a recent leak, certain areas which were not made available to guests, were having work carried out. Booking.com have also confirmed that the hotel has been taken off their site while they investigate the claims.
Speaking about their own experience with the hotel, the family from Edinburgh said: "We went into the reception and a lady sitting there pulled out a piece of paper with names written in felt tip pen. You could already tell it wasn't done professionally.
"We got the key and went upstairs and the place was honestly a mess. The stairs as you walk up look like they are collapsing. I thought I tripped with the bags but I noticed they were on a slant.
"We were expecting a double bed and a single bed all in one room as that's what was shown in the picture. We walked in and there was a single room to the left with its own bed and toilet but in the corner there was mould and mushrooms growing from the ceiling.
"The toilet was absolutely disgusting and hadn't been cleaned in I don't know how long. We walked through to where our double room was and our own toilet was also filthy. The toilet brush was caked in dry toilet roll.
"We thought we'd all be sleeping in the same room so we went down and asked what the deal was and they said they would try book us in another room. That night we came back and nothing had been done so I slept in the single room with the single bed as there was no heating so we didn't want our seven-year-old in there."
The family said after the antics of the first night, they did not want to stay in the hotel but could not afford to fork out hundreds of pounds on another place.
At one point, they claim there were around 20 people all standing in the reception complaining to members of staff about the state the hotel was in and their rooms.
The family continued: "We went out and actually had a fantastic time apart from the hotel so it was a shame knowing we were having to come back to it.
"The day after we checked in they had jammed a single bed in a different double room which wasn't there before. We took a shower and the water was scalding hot. It could have seriously burnt out son.
"There was a bottom floor apartment which had its window completely smashed with pigeons flying in. As my partner was taking a shower, I could hear dripping. I looked outside and it was actually someone else having a shower with the water dripping out the wall onto the roof.
"The mattresses were absolutely disgusting and the bed was moving around on the floor. They didn't even have a remote control for the TV - you had to push the buttons on the side.
"The smell of damp in this one corridor was so bad - it was unbelievable."
The family say they had booked bed and breakfast but didn't take it and had to fork out money for their own breakfast, lunch and dinner as the tables were 'full of junk'.
After contacting Booking.com, the family claim they were offered a 50 per cent discount which then changed to just 15 per cent which would amount to around £30.
"This has not been dealt with properly at all", the family added. "Something needs done about it. They can't advertise that on their website and expect people to go and live there."
The Blackpool Promenade Hotel was approached for comment. In response to similar claims made by recent guests Pamela McInally and Mark Fletcher, the hotel said they are aware of the current review circulating around media outlets but insist the pictures are not an accurate representation of the hotel.
They added: "We must start by saying we operate a budget hotel and our hotels facilities do reflect its prices.
"However the pictures shared online are not a true representation of our hotel. The pictures shared are from rooms which are out of order and they were only left open as the builders were in and out working between the rooms.
"These rooms we do not let out as they are under renovation due to a major leak which happened recently - this has been repaired and doesn’t affect any other rooms than the one pictured, which is not open to anyone except builders.
"We are sorry in this circumstance that this had to escalate to such an extent however we completely disagree that these images and the review are a true reflection of our hotel."
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: "While we are proud to offer a huge range of accommodation for all budgets, with a reviews system helping to guide customers on choosing their next stay, this is not the experience we would want for any of our customers.
"As such, we have suspended this property while we review the issues raised to ensure these are addressed for future guests."
Booking.com were also approached regarding the family's claims about their 50 per cent refund.
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