British family arrived at their ‘luxurious’ hotel in Greece only to find it covered in rubble
A British couple who arrived at their ‘luxurious’ hotel in Greece with their baby daughter only to find it covered in rubble and heavy machinery is to take legal action against tour operator Thomson after the travel giant offered them ‘no support and £148 in compensation’ following their ordeal.
Young mum Jodie Bush, 25, arrived at the Halikidiki hotel The Blue Lagoon Princess hotel last Monday with partner Rob Orr, 27, and their seven month old daughter Meadow on the family’s first ever holiday together.
But, despite the hotel being included in Thomson’s ‘platinum lifestyle’ range on its website, the family claim that as well as still looking like a building site when they arrived –with piles of mud and missing doors – according to Mr Orr the resort was a ‘potential death trap’.
Though the manager eventually moved them to another hotel, the family say they feel they have been left with no option but to seek legal advice from travel law experts Leigh Day.
Rob Orr said: “We were so excited to be heading off on our first holiday with Meadow having worked hard over recent months in order to afford something a little bit more luxurious. We wanted to take the opportunity to relax, and we chose the resort because of the glowing description that Thomson had given it.
“What we found when we landed was, at best, an unattractive building site. At worst it was a potential death trap; with heavy machinery all over the place and workman carrying out pretty significant structural work to the resort.
“There was absolutely no way we could stay there with our Meadow and feel any kind of peace of mind. Would you feel safe when half the people around you were still in hard hats?
“We tried to talk to Thomson about what we felt were unacceptable living conditions but when we approached the holiday reps they just fobbed us off. We’re furious with the whole thing, and to have been offered such a paltry figure as compensation is an absolute joke.”
The family have now instructed Clare Campbell, a Partner and travel law expert from law firm Leigh Day, in a bid to get answers from the tour operator. She said: “Tour operators have a duty of care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the customers it represents.
“We believe this family and others at the hotel were put under significant strain as a result of the condition of the resort when they arrived.
“They are now looking for answers and an explanation as to why more wasn’t done to manage the situation. We will also be looking to ensure they are appropriately compensated as a result of their losses.”
The Leigh Day legal team will now issue a letter of claim to Thomson on behalf of Mr Orr.
Rob, a 27-year-old Surveyor from Morden, Surrey, described how many of the other holidaymakers who arrived at the same time were left fighting for alternative accommodation.
He said: “We weren’t the only ones who felt that Thomson were showing total disregard for our safety; at one point we were surrounded by other people trying to arrange to be moved and many of them had small children too.
“I think that it’s disgraceful that we were put in such a difficult position, in a foreign country, with a small infant.
We want answers, and I know many of our fellow holidaymakers feel the same.”
