A family have vowed never to return to Center Parcs at Sherwood Forest because of the state of their 'dirty' accommodation. Sean Sheehan and his family stayed at the popular holiday village in June but said they were left disappointed overall because the lodges weren't up the the standard they would have expected.
Mr Sheehan, 36, said floors "weren't mopped" and the accommodation "hadn't been vacuumed". With his two young children in tow, he was also worried that the back of TV remotes were missing, which he said presented a potential choking risk with the batteries exposed.
Having complained, Mr Sheehan and has family gave Nottinghamshire-headquartered Center Parcs the benefit of the doubt and decided to return a month later. He explained they'd been promised a "VIP clean", a gift in the room and further checks.
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But upon their arrival for their subsequent stay in July, he said there was no gift in the room, no additional cleaning checks and "it was actually dirtier than the June stay". And he and his family said they would not return to Center Parcs in the future.
Mr Sheehan, who works at Jaguar Land Rover, said: "It's just a shame, as me and my wife now just categorically won't be returning. We've looked at other options, but its a shame."
The June trip cost the family around £600 and the July stay came to more than £900 because it was in and around the peak holiday season. Bosses at the holiday company have apologised, saying they hadn't met the high standards they set and they have offered Mr Sheehan a partial refund.
Mr Sheehan, who lives with his family in Birmingham, said they spent hours of their first trip cleaning the accommodation. When he, his wife and the two children - aged two years old and four months old - went to Center Parcs in June, Mr Sheehan explained his sister-in-law and her family were in the lodge next door.
On the issues the family noticed in June, Mr Sheehan said: "We just couldn't believe the cleanliness and how dirty it was, the floors weren't mopped, it hadn't been vacuumed. The backs of the TV remotes were missing so you have exposed batteries and that was in both lodges. My son is electronics mad so was straight away trying to grab the remote, but luckily I saw that the back was missing immediately and put it out of reach."
He claimed Center Parcs didn't take his concerns "seriously and nobody really got involved". He said he was told it wouldn't happen again, and backs of the remote would be added to a checklist.
With Center Parcs a place the family have enjoyed visiting over the last 10 years, they made the call to return in July. It 'ticked all the boxes' for the young family until their most recent trips.
Mr Sheehan said: "The only reason why I did go back (in July) was because they promised me a VIP clean, a gift in the room, and just further checks. When we arrived there was no gift in the room, there was no additional cleaning checks that had been done and there was certainly no VIP clean as it was actually dirtier than the June stay.
"The floors definitely haven't been mopped. I don't understand; it's a premium holiday for families and I think 90 percent of the people who go there are young families."
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Whilst the family could have allowed cleaners to come in the lodge and clean it, the parents decided to do it themselves. They said they did this because it was coming up to meal time for the kids, and they didn't want to wait any longer than was necessary.
Mr Sheehan said: "We just had to do it ourselves because as a parent you need to know it's been done to the right standard, to know what it's actually been mopped and cleaned properly."
A spokesperson from Center Parcs has said: "We apologise that on this occasion we clearly did not meet the high standards we set for ourselves. We would like to reassure Mr Sheehan that we take his complaints extremely seriously and have offered him a partial refund."
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