Greek Wedding Ruined As Bride, Groom And Guests Suffered Illness

A group of 93 disgruntled holidaymakers have now instructed expert international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate an outbreak of illness including Cryptosporidium at the Marelen Hotel on the Greek Island of Zante.

Among the group of holidaymakers taking legal action are Danielle, 30, and Mark Woollaston, 38, who travelled to Zante for two weeks in August this year to get married, and stayed at the hotel with their wedding guests.

Unfortunately the couple, from Birmingham, found their wedding celebrations ruined due to a severe gastric illness outbreak at the hotel during their stay, with some of the wedding guests being diagnosed with Cryptosporidium upon returning to the UK.

The group legal action also includes an additional wedding party that also travelled to the Marelen Hotel and wedding guests from that party also suffered with Cryptosporidium. These guests witnessed that the swimming pool was closed for several days due to faeces in the pool. There are 33 children in the group as a whole, majority of who suffered with illness to include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and tiredness. 

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite which causes severe gastric symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting and is often spread through contaminated water in swimming pools or due to poor food hygiene.

Jatinder Paul, an Associate Solicitor and expert international personal injury lawyer for Irwin Mitchell who have successfully represented hundreds of holidaymakers who have contracted Cryptosporidium, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Cryptosporidium can have serious, long-term health implications for those affected.

“We are now representing almost 100 people who were affected by illness at the Marelen Hotel following holidays this year, and we are still receiving enquiries from other guests at the hotel.

“Many of our clients are giving us the same description of their time at the hotel and the problems that they faced, including problems with faeces in the swimming pool, which our clients tell us was not dealt with as promptly as it could, and should, have been.

“We would encourage anyone who stayed at the Marelen Hotel this summer and has since experienced gastric symptoms, to see their GP at the earliest available opportunity. We would also like to speak with them as they may be able to help with our investigations.” Jatinder Paul - Partner

Danielle, a personal banker and Mark, a company director, have both been forced to take time off work since returning from their holiday as a result of the illness they suffered. But worse than their loss of earnings, the two have also had their wedding ruined.

Mark said: “We both felt unwell during the holiday. I was suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting and horrendous stomach cramps on the actual day of the wedding. It spoilt the day and it is so frustrating and disappointing, I didn’t get to eat any of my wedding meal that we had paid for due to fearing I would have to go straight to the toilet.”

On their return, the couple also held a wedding reception in the UK however many of their invited guests, including many family members, were unable to attend due to the on-going symptoms they were suffering.

Danielle said: “The most upsetting thing is that our wedding, a celebration with our families and friends, was spoilt not once but twice because of this outbreak. It was a once in a lifetime event ruined and we will never be able to get that back.

“When we returned to the UK, we knew many guests would be unable to attend the second wedding reception because we ourselves were still feeling unwell, so we knew others would still be suffering.

“I am not surprised we are not the only group of holidaymakers who have fallen ill at this hotel this year. All we want to know now is what caused our illness and ruined our wedding, and why was more not done to protect the guests of the hotel.”

If you or a loved one has suffered an illness whilst in a hotel abroad, our accident and illness solicitors could help you to claim compensation. See our Hotel Illness Claims page for more information.