'Bomb site' hotel axed from Booking.com as family flee minutes after arrival
A 'bomb site' Blackpool hotel has been suspended from Booking.com after a horrified family stormed out in disgust - just minutes after checking in.
Pamela McInally and Mark Fletcher claim they were confronted with mounds of rubbish, dirty carpets, used urinals and an abandoned mattress when they walked into Blackpool Promenade Hotel in Blackpool, Lancashire, on Sunday, April 9.
The furious couple claim that minutes after accepting their keys from reception, they handed them back after there were holes in the walls and it was such a mess that their daughter started crying.
Disgusted housekeeper Pamela and engineer Mark, both 33, say they refused to let their four children inside the £68 hotel room, marched back to reception and handed the keys back.
They claim they were then forced to fork out a £200 deposit and £100 for new accommodation for the night.
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The family left the hotel after checking-in due to the state of it (Kennedy News and Media)
The family said that the hotel looked like a bombsite (Kennedy News and Media)Booking.com said they are suspending the property while they review the issues raised by Mark and Pamela to ensure they're addressed for future guests.
Mark says that although he's pleased that the property has been suspended from Booking.com, he believes he should be refunded for the cost of the alternative accommodation as it took a 'big chunk' of the family's spending money.
Mark, from Paisley, Scotland, said: "I'm glad the hotel been suspended as they shouldn't be operating in those conditions and I'm shocked they're happy to take a family's money and put them up in those conditions.
"I think Booking.com should be giving us our money back for needing to find other accommodation for the night as it ruined our first night of our holiday and cost us that just to go to sleep.
"We got in the other hotel at 7.30pm and had to leave for 10am. I'm happy they have been removed from Booking.com now to stop more families going through what we had to as it was a disgrace.
"My seven-year-old was crying and said she couldn't stay there and kids shouldn't be on holiday crying that they can't stay somewhere.
Pictures show the state of the hotel when they went to visit (Kennedy News and Media)"It was horrific. As soon as we walked into reception there were alarm bells.
"The room directly opposite had the door wide open, it was full of rubbish. There were holes in the wall, the urinals were covered in pee, sh*t and toilet roll.
"We thought 'oh my god'. We just wanted to see the room and see if it was doable, we weren't expecting The Ritz. It looked like a bomb site, it was bad.
"We went back down to reception and said we weren't taking out kids in there, not a chance."
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Pamela added: "This was never about the money. It was to save any other family the disappointment when they arrived. Booking another apartment took a big chunk of our spending money.
"It may be difficult for other families to fund another stay elsewhere and it's a disgrace they are even aloud to be on any big hotel booking site.
They said that there was plenty of rubbish all over the hotel (Kennedy News and Media)
The toilet was allegedly in a filthy condition (Kennedy News and Media)"The hotel was disgusting. I was never expecting to see what I did. It was dirty, the floors were disgusting, the reception was non-existent.
"There was a mattress in the hallway. I wouldn't let a homeless person stay there. I was in shock, it wasn't right."
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."
Mark says after requesting a refund from the hotel, described as being 'just yards away from Blackpool's golden beaches', they were told to request it from Booking.com.
After waiting 48 hours, Booking.com said they couldn't get a refund as the hotel said the family had checked in and spent the night there.
Blackpool Promenade Hotel, also known as Garvey's Promenade Hotel, insists that the couple stayed the night but after they provided email confirmation proving they had to make a booking at an alternative hotel, Booking.com refunded the £68.
The couple said their daughter started crying at seeing the mess (Kennedy News and Media)
Rubbish left by a door (Kennedy News and Media)The hotel also claims the family didn't make a complaint, however the couple provided an audio recording of themselves on the phone to reception saying they couldn't stay there and complaining about the state of the hotel.
The hotel also says that Mark and Pamela's images aren't a true representation and the rooms that appear to be filled with rubbish are 'out of order' and had been left open for builders to access.
The family had originally planned to spend three days in Blackpool and had another hotel arranged from Monday but decided to add an extra night to make the most of the Easter holidays.
Mark said: "It was cheap enough. We had been out all day, we were only going to be in there for a bed and a shower.
"The hotel looks nothing like it does on the website."
The hotel was rated 'poor' and scored just 3.4 out of 10 on Booking.com 's website before it was removed and other reviewers have described it as 'dirty and full of rubbish'.
One reviewer wrote: "The front of the hotel was disgraceful it was dirty and full of rubbish. The litter bin was full so rubbish was placed anywhere.[...]
"l thought we had walked into a derelict old house. It was disgusting so I wouldn't recommend this hotel and I wouldn't be going back again."
Another wrote: "The property was very dated and didn’t look like it had been given much attention lately.
"The hotel itself was dirty."
The Blackpool Promenade Hotel has been suspended by Booking.com (Kennedy News and Media)A spokesperson from Blackpool Promenade Hotel said: "We are aware of the current review circulating around various media outlets regarding a guests stay at our property this weekend.
"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 have only just started the business and understand there is a lot of work needed to get the hotel to the high standard we would like.
"However, at the moment the rooms are done to a budget standard, this doesn’t mean we let rooms out like the images shown above.
"Even though we are a budget hotel, we still keep all our rooms to a high standard of cleanliness and still provide a good quality service for our guest which provides good value for money.
"The images aren’t a true representation of our hotel and we would not allow the rooms in the pictures to be let out to any guest.
"The guest stayed at the property and didn’t leave as stated in the review. At no time did the guest make a complaint to front desk or contact the hotel phone to do so.
"If we receive complaints, we follow them up appropriately and always aim to promote a good standard throughout the hotel.
"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."
The Blackpool Promenade Hotel has been repeatedly contacted for further comment regarding the suspension and that the couple have provided evidence that they stayed elsewhere but has failed to respond.
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