A woman claims her dream £4,000 family holiday was ruined after she discovered the hotel was attached to a residential care home. Tracy Haslam, 52, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, booked an all-inclusive trip to Tunisia for herself, her two daughters, and six grandchildren through Loveholidays. Upon arrival at the four-star hotel on April 12, she noticed a large number of elderly residents in wheelchairs. When she asked reception about her luggage, she mentioned the many elderly people with carers she had seen. According to Tracy, the hotel manager then admitted the establishment was connected to a residential care facility.
Elderly Residents Wheeled Past Sun Loungers
Tracy filmed elderly residents, some of whom she believed had dementia, being pushed just inches past her sun lounger every five minutes. She felt deceived and insisted she would never have booked the hotel if she had known. She complained to Loveholidays for not disclosing the link to a care home, stating it was not appropriate for children. Loveholidays said they became aware of the situation after Tracy's complaint and have temporarily halted bookings for the property while investigating with their accommodation partner.
Holidaymaker's Disappointment
Tracy described the experience as bizarre and inappropriate for kids. She said, 'We went to reception to speak about my case and they were quite rude. The manager was walking past and there were these wheelchairs. I said, excuse me, is this residential? He said yeah there are just three. I said, you're having a laugh, there's about ten just gone past me. So part of it has a residential care home attached to it.' She added that her biggest complaint was about the care home, as she would never have booked it if she had known. She stressed she was not discriminating against elderly people but said some were verbal and moaning, which was not appropriate for children.
In response to her initial complaint, Tracy claims a Loveholidays representative told her that hotels operate under their own policies and that the evidence was not sufficient for compensation. However, after press inquiries, Loveholidays issued a full apology and refund. Tracy said, 'There were nine of us that went and it's a holiday we're not going to get back. It's just been very blasé that the hotel doesn't need to state what clientele they have. A care home with at least ten residents being wheeled past you every five, ten minutes, I find it bizarre.'
Loveholidays Response
A Loveholidays spokesperson said, 'We're very sorry that Ms Haslam and her family's experience at their hotel in Tunisia fell short of our usual high standards. We are investigating the issues raised with the accommodation provider as a priority, and have removed the hotel from sale whilst this investigation is underway. We have been in touch with Ms Haslam to offer our apologies and a full refund of the cost of her accommodation.' The hotel has been approached for a response.
