A mum has spoken of her horror after finding “blood-stained” bed sheets and “bugs” that she claims were in a Blackpool hotel room.
Julie Potter, 41, from Rochdale, and her daughter Katie, 16, have enjoyed many trips to Blackpool. But their latest visit left them disgusted and vowing they will never return.
Katie, who has been diagnosed with autism, asked for a night away in her favourite location, during the Easter break. After reading several glowing reviews on Booking.com, Julie booked a room at the Atlantis Hotel on Hull Road, LancsLive reports.
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The pair travelled two and a half hours by train from their home, excited for their stay. However when they checked into their room, they were met with a scene which Julie said was “like a nightmare.”
“It was full of mould”, she told LancsLive. “You could see it on the walls and growing up the side of the bed. I messaged straight away and said we couldn’t stay and was told they could put us in another room.”
Julie and Katie claims they were offered another room at the Astoria Hotel, which is run by the same owner. They put their bags in the room and went to get some food, as it was getting late.
“I didn’t even look at the room at first”, Julie said. “When we got back, it was like a nightmare. There was blood in the bed, there were hairs everywhere, and ripped sheets. It was even worse than the first room we had. By that time I had a child on pins but I said we can’t stay here.”
Julie asked for a refund so they could book another room in Blackpool, but claims when she called the owner he began shouting at her – and refused to give her money back.
“I am a single parent and I was on my own with my vulnerable daughter sitting next to me. I said, ‘I don’t know why you’re shouting at me’ and he said ‘I don’t know why you’re telling me my hotels are disgusting.’ When I said I wanted a refund to book somewhere else he put the phone down on me.
“We were two and a half hours from home with a child with additional needs. She hadn’t asked for anything out of this world. We’ve been to Blackpool a few times – it is one of Katie’s go-to places but we usually get a clean room. It might not be fancy but it is clean.
“The owner said, ‘what do you expect for £35’, but I hadn’t booked the cheapest place to stay. It was somewhere in the middle. I just expected it to be clean.”
After walking around Blackpool trying to find a place to stay, the mum and daughter found the Royal Seabank hotel on the Promenade.
“The manager couldn’t do enough for us”, Julie said. “I explained the situation and she said, ‘I know our rooms are clean, but I’ll go and check it first, and you can have a look before I confirm the booking. Then, once we were booked in, she said if we needed anything to just come and ask. We went into the room and went to bed straight away.”
The next day, Julie and Katie had a ride on the horse drawn carriages, as it is one of Katie’s favourite activities, but Julie said the whole trip was tarnished.
“Katie likes things that are familiar, so she always asks to go to Blackpool or Southport. She has said she doesn’t want to go to Blackpool again now. Even though the hotel we ended up in was nice, the whole experience was ruined.”
LancsLive contacted the owner, who confirmed he had not refunded Julie for the stay but that “didn’t indicate anything”. He said following Julie’s complaint a cleaner was sent to the first room and they were offered an alternative room at the Astoria.
“We are doing our very best”, he said. “Bear in mind we are dealing with the very cheapest level of accommodation in Blackpool. Of all the 970 or so hotels in Blackpool, there are many that don’t care.”
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: “We take any complaint seriously and are looking into the issues raised.”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
