A mum told how what may have been her final holiday with her terminally ill daughter was ruined by 'the worst hotel' they had ever stayed in'. Sandra Henderson and her daughter travelled to Blackpool for a birthday weekend away.
She told LancsLive they had been looking forward to spending some quality time together following her daughter's terminal cancer diagnosis. But conditions at the Blackpool Promenade Hotel tainted the whole trip, claimed the Stockport mum.
The lift was broken, there was no toilet roll and Sandra said she wiped 'black' from the bathroom walls. They had no option to switch hotels, she added.
A spokesperson for the hotel said: "It's always easy to target and blame the hotels and a good excuse to get the money [refunded]." However, Sandra did get her money back and Booking.com said they were working with the hotel to resolve reported issues.
Sandra said: "I've been coming to Blackpool for years, I have stayed in all sorts of hotels, but I have never stayed anywhere like this," she said. "It was filthy, absolutely disgusting. It was by far the worst hotel I've ever stayed in."
Initial first impressions weren't great, she admitted. She said the hall carpets needed vacuuming and their were dirty bottles and cups piled up on the bar.
They checked in and were given a room on the fourth floor. "We had paid extra for a room with a sea view. However, because of my daughter's cancer, she's walking with a stick at the moment, and the lift was broken," said Sandra.
"We made it upstairs to our room, but I took one look at my daughter and knew she wouldn't be able to manage the stairs for the remainder of our trip. She was exhausted."
They were then offered a room on the first floor which they accepted. She first noticed the carpet needed a vacuum.
"Then my daughter called out from the bathroom that there was no toilet roll. We then saw the state of the shower," she said.
"I remember thinking that the tiles could just be discoloured, but when I wiped my finger on the tiles, it came up black. It was filthy.
"We wanted a brew before we went out again, but when I looked in the coffee cups, they were filthy too. Every surface in the room was covered in grime and dust, yet someone must have been in there to clean because the bed had been made."
Sandra says she found the manager and showed him her concerns. She says he hoovered the room, and 'wiped it down with a towel and a bottle of Windex', and proceeded to offer her a better room for the rest of her stay, which was on the first floor with a sea view.
The following morning, she said they were once again told by the manager that when they came back from breakfast their new room would be ready for them. Sandra said: "We didn't go out for long, as my daughter gets tired easily because of the cancer.
"After we got back I went to see if I could see [the manager], and he was at reception, so I asked about our room. He turned and said we should have come down 10 minutes earlier because the room had gone."
Sandra said that was the final straw, and her and her daughter made the decision to look for another hotel for the remainder of their stay. Sandra claims the hotel told her to obtain her refund through booking.com, which she has now has received.
A spokesperson for the Blackpool Promenade Hotel said: "We are sorry the customer expressed their disappointments for their stay. We completed our investigation regarding the guest's allegations. Before the guests arrived, we double-checked our rooms. The guest has booked a Twin Sea View room and upon arrival we have provided their room and the room was absolutely fine with no complaint from the guest.
"But after a while the guest came to reception and told them they needed a lower floor room. Luckily there was only one twin standard room but no sea view room was left on the first floor because most of the rooms are booked due to the busy school holiday in October. The guest stayed for the first night without any complaint.
"But on the second day they expressed their unhappiness and as soon as they complained we sorted out their cleanliness and then again we offered them the same room they originally booked but they refused to go back to their original room they booked.
"Our question is why they did not stay in the room that they booked originally and asked us to provide a lower floor on short notice when there is a full occupancy of the hotel. Still, though, we have accommodated on the first floor as a gesture of goodwill but they complain. Also in a short notice we could not resell both the rooms they have used.
"It's always easy to target and blame the hotels and a good excuse to get the money [refunded]."
A spokesperson for Booking.com said they are working with the property to address any issues raised. Ian White, director of StayBlackpool said: "As a director of the Hotel & Guest House Association StayBlackpool, I am saddened to read horror stories about Blackpool Hotels. Fortunately, the bad places are few and far between
"After seeing some of the pictures, I am mortified that accommodation providers can offer such standards and expect to be paid. Sadly, as things stand the local council's hands are tied into what action they can take.
"It should be noted that where someone experiences such poor conditions, they need to report the issues to the Trading Standards Department at the council where they pay their council tax. Though the booking site should always be the first port of call.
"For bookers peace of mind and the knowledge their accommodation providers will do the very best for them, they need to look at the local Tourist board, VisitBlackpool or groups like StayBlackpool where all properties are annually inspected to ensure they make the grade. Also with no commission, using such recognised/trusted organisations the price will almost certainly be less than the big names that charge significant amounts of commission to the accommodation providers."
