It has been interesting to see managers at the Jasmine Palace Resort & Spa, in Hurghada, Egypt, promising to raise hygiene and cleanliness concerns with staff following reports of a number of illnesses by guests in recent weeks.
It comes as our specialist travel litigation team at Hudgell Solicitors has been instructed to seek holiday illness compensation holidaymakers who say their trip was ruined by illness having stayed at the hotel in January 2019.
Independent review site TripAdvisor has a number of reports alleging poor quality food, a lack of cleanliness and hygiene standards and bouts of sickness and diarrhoea from people who were there at the same time as the people who have approached us for legal advice.
Some of those leaving comments have made reference to illnesses lasting as long as seven days – something which would certainly ruin an eagerly-awaited and costly holiday break.
In our experience, when a number of people are taken ill at the same time at the same hotel, and consistent, independent concerns are raised by a number of guests over issues such as cleanliness of rooms, fly infestations, lukewarm food being served and foul smells, further investigation is required.
TripAdvisor reviews have alleged poor standards of food, cleanliness and hygiene
One guest, who stayed at the Jasmine Palace Resort & Spa with his wife in December 2018, says he actually left the hotel early due to the poor experience.
His review on TripAdvisor says both he and his wife had stomach problems during their stay, and such was their concern over the food that they limited what they ate at the hotel to only food which was cooked in front of them.
The guest also adds: “It is impossible to relax at the pools or even at the beach due to the number of flies, this is not typical of any other hotel I have stayed in and suggests hygiene issues. We left the hotel a few times, partly to have a look round and but mainly to escape the flies and to get some decent food.”
Another guest recently wrote “Yellow stained beds, brown stained pillows, rooms stink of sweat, corridors stink of sewage. Food makes you very ill. Food is very poor and almost always cold. Flies make it impossible to relax around the pool area.”
A more recent guest has also left a review saying “1 week back and still have diarrhoea, been to Egypt 5 times and never been ill, the food is not good.”
In the hotel’s recent responses to poor reviews, it has pledged to review its food service, cleanliness and hygiene – which it says it is ‘paying special attention to’ – with staff and heads of departments.
The Guest Relations Manager has posted: “Gastronomy is one of our most important mainstays and we will of course keep your comments in mind about our restaurants in order to improve our service and gastronomic selection. We attach great importance to cleanliness and hygiene. Your remarks will be shared with the respective department heads.”
Given all the concerns shared by guests and the responses of the hotel management, it appears clear there have been some issues in recent times, and we will be contacting the package holiday tour operator to clarify how and why people became ill, and whether the food and a lack of hygiene and cleanliness caused the illnesses suffered.
If you think you might be entitled to holiday illness compensation, or to make a claim for an accident on holiday, contact our solicitors today.
