Expert Travel Lawyers At Irwin Mitchell Instructed To Investigate Conditions At Royal Grand Sharm

Holidaymakers who suffered gastric illness so severe they were hooked up to IV drips in their hotel room, have instructed expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the conditions at the Royal Grand Sharm hotel in Egypt.

Marc Trundley, 27, and his partner Hayley Gavin, 29, spent 11 nights at the five-star hotel in Sharm-el-Sheikh, in September 2015, which they booked through the tour operator Low Cost Holidays.

Instead of experiencing the relaxing break they had hoped for, they were left terrified in their hotel room as they suffered serious gastric illness.

The couple, from Hemel Hempstead, have since instructed expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the conditions at the hotel, as well as the hygiene standards in place, as just five days into their holiday they began to suffer with acute stomach cramps, followed by severe diarrhoea and vomiting.

Two days later they were visited by the hotel doctor, who prescribed antibiotics and fluids to fight the infection and rehydrate the couple. A second doctor was called to their room as it took more than three attempts to insert a cannula into Hayley’s arm.

The IV drips were attached to lampshades in the hotel room, following which Marc and Hayley were left for 45 minutes. They said they were unable to move as they feared pulling the cannulas out of their arms but were forced to untie the drips and walk each other to the toilet.

They told their travel illness lawyers at Irwin Mitchell that prior to becoming ill they often saw flies and birds landing on or around uncovered food in the restaurants, they noted that food was served lukewarm and that there were poor hygiene standards in the public toilet facilities. They also reported several other holidaymakers falling ill with similar symptoms.

Expert Opinion

“We have now heard first-hand reports from Hayley and Marc of the standards they experienced at the Royal Grand Sharm and we have a number of serious concerns.

“It is worrying to hear that other holidaymakers may have suffered the same problems as Marc and Hayley during their stay at the hotel. We would urge anyone else who suffered problems at the hotel to get in touch as they may be able to help with our investigations.

“The last thing Hayley and Marc expected when booking this luxury holiday was to spend the majority of their holiday stuck in their hotel room attached to IV drips. We have now begun our own investigations into the hygiene standards at the hotel and hope to be able to provide Hayley and Marc with the answers they deserve about what caused their condition.”
Jennifer Hodgson - Associate Solicitor

Both Marc, a business support manager at a private hospital, and Hayley, a neo-natal nurse continue to suffer the impact of the illness and have been unable to return to work.

Marc said: “We can’t put into words the ordeal we have been put through. It was a truly terrifying experience knowing that you are that unwell and have been treated like that by a five-star hotel. We are still suffering the impact of the illness and have been off work as a result.

“All we wanted to do was to get home and receive the treatment we needed but we felt completely helpless, trapped in a hotel room, not knowing exactly how serious our illnesses were.

“The indignity of having to help each other to the toilet with IV fluids running through the cannulas, which were still in our arms and hands and attached to the lamp shades, along with the way that we were treated, has left us both physically and mentally exhausted. This was meant to be a break that we both deserved and we were expecting a relaxing and luxurious holiday.

“The ordeal has also damaged our confidence when it comes to going away in the future. We will be reluctant to go anywhere where we could go through such an experience again. The Royal Grand Sharm is a five-star hotel that we trusted to help us have a great holiday. Instead we have been left with an experience we will find very hard to overcome.”