Hudgell Solicitors’ specialist Travel Litigation team is currently investigating the cause of illnesses suffered by guests staying at the Leonardo Laura Beach Hotel in Cyprus this summer.
Symptoms included severe sickness and diarrhoea, body aches and stomach cramps. Some guests who have contacted our lawyers subsequently tested for positive for cryptosporidium – an illness which can affect people for as long as a month.
Cryptosporidium is a germ which is usually found in water, food, soil or on surfaces or dirty hands that have been contaminated with faeces of humans or animals infected with the parasite.
18 out of 21 wedding party guests taken ill
Amongst those to contact our legal team were members of a wedding party who say 18 of 21 guests suffered from illness whilst at the hotel.
Both adults and children were affected, with symptoms lasting between two and four weeks, and others becoming ill and losing weight due to continuing sickness and diarrhoea after returning home to the UK.
Some guests have also had confirmation that they had e-coli, which is most commonly contracted by eating contaminated food.
The holidaymakers who have contacted our legal team have made a number of allegations and raised concerns over the standard of hygiene and cleanliness at the hotel.
It has also been noticeable that there are a number of similar comments on the holiday review site TripAdvisor from guests who stayed at the hotel, in Chlorakas Avenue, Paphos, in August and September of this year.
There are reviews stating that many people were ill in the hotel, with a number referring to family members needing to be taken to hospital and put on a drip.
Concerns raised over cleaning standards and possible contamination
Reviewing in September, one guest reported that three out of four adults suffered from illness during the holiday, and that after returning home, ‘all seven children had sickness and diarrhoea terribly and are unable to keep anything down.’
Reviewer Faye states that ‘the toilets in the lobby were cleaned with the same mop that the lobby and the Little Italy was cleaned with’ – adding ‘I sat on the reception and watched all of this happen.’
She says her son became so ill he required hospital treatment, and that whilst at hospital they were advised that they were ‘not the first people to attend from this hotel with these symptoms and was told it was from a parasite in the pool.’
In one response from the hotel’s management, it states that ‘there was a virus affecting guests causing sickness with diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms’, but claims the virus was not found only in the hotel, but also in the wider community, and may therefore have been airborne.
Tour operators have duty to ensure all steps taken to prevent illness
Certainly, given the accounts of those who have contacted our legal team, and the many concerns raised by guests on TripAdvisor, we feel further investigations are required as to the standards of hygiene and cleanliness at this hotel.
At Hudgell Solicitors, our specialists have vast experience in acting for people who have been affected by holiday illnesses, including individuals and groups, and we have been successful in securing many damages settlements out of court.
Whilst sickness bugs can of course never be completely avoided, it is essential that hotels take all steps possible to prevent such illnesses spreading.
Tour operators are responsible for ensuring holidaymakers are safe and that all steps are taken to prevent such illnesses spreading, and if that is found not to have been the case, it is only right that people are fully compensated for long-awaited holidays, and special occasions such as weddings, being ruined.
If you have been affected by illness whilst staying at the Leonardo Laura Beach Hotel in Cyprus this summer, contact our team today. Claims are handled on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, meaning you will only pay an agreed percentage of any damages secured, if your case is successful.