What To Do if Your Hotel Is Dirty and Unhygienic

You've booked a holiday in a lovely looking hotel that you saw online. You've flown hundreds of miles to get there, and when you arrive, exhausted and expectant; you see what can only be described as a 'fleapit.' It's disappointing, and it's going to ruin your holiday if the place is dirty, damp, unhygienic or just plain awful. So what can you do about it?

If you booked a package holiday (a holiday made up of more than one component which was paid for as one 'package') you have the backing of the Package Travel Regulations, which mean that you could be entitled to compensation if the holiday isn't as you expected, or doesn't live up to the standards you would reasonably have expected it to.

Who is Responsible if I Have a Complaint?

The tour operator is liable under the law if there is a failure of the hotel to provide the services, facilities and accommodation that you've been led to expect. So, if you book the holiday through an agent, they will quite rightly tell you to take the complaint up with the tour operator. You'll have the details of the operator on your paperwork so keep hold of all the details.

Your first port of call is to the travel rep for your holiday. They have to make every effort to resolve your issues as soon as they are made aware of them, so if you check into your room and it's filthy, you need to tell them immediately. Most reps will give you a contact number - they want to sell you excursions after all - so use it. Meanwhile, if there are obvious signs that the room isn't clean - insects, mess, etc, take photographs. You might need these later!

What Am I Entitled To By Law?

The law states that all holiday accommodation must be safe, clean, and of a reasonable standard. So if you find yourself in a disgusting, dirty hotel, arrive to find a room full of cockroaches, and the kitchen hygiene gives you a dose of holiday tummy, you are entitled to compensation even if the holiday was a bargain and the accommodation was described as 'basic'. You're entitled to a certain level of accommodation even if you pay rock bottom prices.

Complain as soon as possible and ask the rep to complete an official report, and then make sure you have as much evidence of the issues you are complaining about as possible. Write to the tour operator within 28 days of returning home, giving them full details of the problem, what you want them to do about it, and giving them a deadline to respond. Include:

• your invoice and confirmation number, ticket numbers and any other reference numbers
• the date of your holiday
• how much you paid
• what the problems were and the effect they had on your holiday
• details of any travel agent if you went through one - or the website you booked through
• what you would like them to do - a refund or compensation for example
• copies of any documents or any photographs that you took of the problems
• statements from any witnesses.

Send the letter by recorded delivery and keep a copy.

The amount of compensation you can claim for a holiday that turns into a nightmare usually depends on how serious the breaches of contract were - for example if the lack of hygiene causes you or anyone in your party serious illness, ruining the holiday completely, you would be within your rights to claim a larger portion of the cost of the holiday plus any damages for loss of enjoyment - but if you were simply unhappy with your room, the compensation would be substantially less.

In some cases you can end up with compensation that's much more than you paid for the holiday - but as you would have to have had a really awful time, let's hope that's not necessary...