Specialist Travel Lawyers Investigating Illness At Daphne Club Hotel

A Glasgow couple whose holiday was ‘ruined’ when one of them suffered a serious gastric illness that required medical treatment abroad and on his return to the UK have instructed expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the cause of the illness.

Stephan Montgomery, from Glasgow, and his partner, Dawn Armstrong, saved up for their holiday to the Daphne Club Hotel, Tunisia in June 2015, which they booked with tour operator Jet2 Holidays.

On their arrival at the hotel, the couple had to ask to be moved to another hotel room as the condition of the room was so poor. They also noticed one of the plug sockets were loose and hanging off the wall.

Stephan, 47, began to suffer with illness just days in to the holiday, including diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and hot and cold sweats. The hotel doctor had to be called out in the middle of the night as Stephan’s symptoms worsened. He was administered with an injection to help him with his symptoms and he also visited the medical centre the following day and was prescribed antibiotics.

On his return to the UK, Stephan’s symptoms continued and he visited his local GP who again prescribed him antibiotics. He continues to suffer with the effects of the illness he suffered at the Daphne Club Hotel and he has lost a stone in weight due to the illness.

He has now instructed expert travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the cause of the illness he suffered in Tunisia, which prevented him from enjoying the facilities at the hotel.

Stephan and Dawn, 45, have reported that the food in the hotel was not of the standard they expected when booking the holiday, food was often left uncovered for long periods of time and that birds and flies were frequently seen in the hotel’s restaurants.

They also told their legal team at Irwin Mitchell that staff were protesting during their stay as they had not been paid and they were told that was no money to buy food. The kitchen area was very dirty with spillages seen all over the floor. The couple explained that they were able to walk freely in and out of the kitchen during the protests which enabled them to photograph the dire conditions. The day before the couple were due to fly home, they both suffered with bed bites which they allege came from the hotel room.

Expert Opinion

“Stephan’s report of the illness he suffered at the Daphne Club Hotel is extremely concerning. The last thing he and Dawn expected when they went on holiday was to be stuck in their room suffering with the terrible symptoms associated with gastric illnesses.

“Through our work we have seen the impact illnesses of this nature can have, in both the short and long-term, and we will now be investigating the cause of Stephan’s problems at the hotel.

“Understandably, Stephan wants answers about what caused the illness that ruined the holiday he worked so hard to save up for. We would urge anyone else who suffered similar problems at the hotel to contact us as they may be able to help with our enquires.”
Jatinder Paul - Partner

Stephan, who works as a taxi driver, said: “Dawn and I saved up all year to afford this holiday and we were looking forward to a relaxing week-long break in Tunisia. But shortly after we arrived this idea was completely ruined by the illness I suffered.

“I did not expect to need medical treatment whilst on holiday and I certainly didn’t expect to still be suffering the effects of the illness now, which has caused me to lose over a stone in weight, more than a month after coming home.

“The whole experience was a disappointment for us and we want to know what caused our illness and we hope by taking legal action we will get answers that will help us move on from this terrible experience.”