05.03.2015
Today, (5th March), a Judge at Birmingham County Court, approved settlements for 32 children, some of which will now receive damages of up to £20,000 each.
Holidaymakers, who were hoping for luxurious and relaxing breaks in the sun at the luxury 4-star Tropicana Sea Splash Resort (which has now changed its name to the Sea Beach Resort & Aqua Park) in Sharm El-Sheikh, in 2012 have told lawyers of the poor conditions which they faced including occasions where:
• Food was served undercooked;
• Raw sewage was seen coming up through the drains near to the children’s pool;
• Cross contamination of raw and cooked meats was witnessed;
• Food was seen to be recycled from previous meals.
Guests suffered symptoms including sickness and diarrhoea, leaving a number of them needing medical treatment and some guests with serious infections - Salmonella poisoning and Cryptosporidium.
Now, specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell representing 73 holidaymakers who stayed at the resort between 19 May 2012 and 23 August 2012 have secured justice for them against First Choice Holidays and Flights Limited, which is part of the TUI group, despite the tour operator failing to either admit or deny liability.
During their stay at the hotel the family were struck with stomach cramps, sickness, diarrhoea and a fever which left them largely confined to their hotel rooms.
Catering manager Louise said: “We booked this holiday to celebrate our milestone birthdays in style but were bitterly disappointed when all three of us suffered from illness during our stay at the hotel.
“We were horrified at the conditions at what was supposed to be a ‘luxury’ hotel; we were bitterly disappointed as this was meant to be a special holiday for us all and it was completely ruined.
“We had actually pre booked another holiday the following year to the resort, but as a result of our experience there we wanted to change the destination with First Choice and to add insult to injury we were told by the tour operator that we would be charged for this, but we took matters into our own hands and contacted the TV programme X-Ray (the Welsh version of Watchdog) and First Choice eventually waived the charges.
“We are pleased and relieved that with the help of our legal team at Irwin Mitchell that we have now received a settlement and justice for our holiday which was ruined whilst staying at the Tropicana Sea Splash Resort. We can now move forward from this and put the ordeal behind us.”
Over 70 Holidaymakers Awarded Over £350,000 Following Illness Outbreak at the Tropicana Sea Splash Hotel in 2012
Expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell representing dozens of holidaymakers whose trips to a luxury Egyptian resort in 2012 were ruined by an outbreak of gastric illness have secured over £350,000 from tour operator First Choice Holidays and Flights Limited.Today, (5th March), a Judge at Birmingham County Court, approved settlements for 32 children, some of which will now receive damages of up to £20,000 each.
Holidaymakers, who were hoping for luxurious and relaxing breaks in the sun at the luxury 4-star Tropicana Sea Splash Resort (which has now changed its name to the Sea Beach Resort & Aqua Park) in Sharm El-Sheikh, in 2012 have told lawyers of the poor conditions which they faced including occasions where:
• Food was served undercooked;
• Raw sewage was seen coming up through the drains near to the children’s pool;
• Cross contamination of raw and cooked meats was witnessed;
• Food was seen to be recycled from previous meals.
Guests suffered symptoms including sickness and diarrhoea, leaving a number of them needing medical treatment and some guests with serious infections - Salmonella poisoning and Cryptosporidium.
Now, specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell representing 73 holidaymakers who stayed at the resort between 19 May 2012 and 23 August 2012 have secured justice for them against First Choice Holidays and Flights Limited, which is part of the TUI group, despite the tour operator failing to either admit or deny liability.
Louise Baldwin, 31, from Llanharan, in Mid Glamorgan, booked a two week holiday at the resort with her husband Darryn and their son Callum to celebrate Louise’s 30th birthday and Darryn’s 40th.Expert Opinion
We have received dozens of complaints from holidaymakers who stayed at the Tropicana Sea Beach Splash Resort during 2012 and in seeking to secure them justice for their illnesses and ruined holidays we were able to obtain expert evidence which was supportive to their claims, despite the refusal by First Choice to neither admit or deny liability.
“There were guests that were diagnosed with Salmonella food poisoning and Cryptosporidium, and a number of the guests that suffered illness suffered from symptoms including stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and lethargy; these illnesses have had a debilitating long term impact on the health of some of our clients.
“We understand that First Choice no longer advertises this resort on their website but our clients were unfortunate enough to go there and have terrible experiences as a result. Many guests had to seek medical assistance whilst abroad and upon returning home, and they are now understandably relieved to have received compensation for the pain and suffering that they have gone through, re-imbursement of their financial losses and expenses and damages for their ruined holidays.
“Despite First Choice’s initial unwillingness to engage constructively with us to resolve these claims, we are delighted that our clients continued to instruct us to fight for them and that we have been able to negotiate a fair financial settlement for them.”
Jatinder Paul - Partner
During their stay at the hotel the family were struck with stomach cramps, sickness, diarrhoea and a fever which left them largely confined to their hotel rooms.
Catering manager Louise said: “We booked this holiday to celebrate our milestone birthdays in style but were bitterly disappointed when all three of us suffered from illness during our stay at the hotel.
“We were horrified at the conditions at what was supposed to be a ‘luxury’ hotel; we were bitterly disappointed as this was meant to be a special holiday for us all and it was completely ruined.
“We had actually pre booked another holiday the following year to the resort, but as a result of our experience there we wanted to change the destination with First Choice and to add insult to injury we were told by the tour operator that we would be charged for this, but we took matters into our own hands and contacted the TV programme X-Ray (the Welsh version of Watchdog) and First Choice eventually waived the charges.
“We are pleased and relieved that with the help of our legal team at Irwin Mitchell that we have now received a settlement and justice for our holiday which was ruined whilst staying at the Tropicana Sea Splash Resort. We can now move forward from this and put the ordeal behind us.”
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