‘My £4,000 vacation was ruined once I found lodge was a part of care dwelling with moaning OAPs’

Brit tourist Tracy Haslam claims her luxury holiday to Tunisia became a nightmare when the all-inclusive hotel she booked turned out to also serve as a care-home for the elderly

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A gran claims her £4,000 all-inclusive Loveholidays getaway was ruined when the hotel turned out to be part of a CARE HOME – with moaning OAPs wheeled past her sunbed.

Tracy Haslam flew to Tunisia with her two daughters and six grandchildren on April 12 and on arrival at the four-star hotel noticed a large number of older people in wheelchairs. When the 52-year-old asked reception about her luggage, she commented on the number of elderly folk with carers she spotted around the hotel.

It was then the dog day-care owner claims the manager revealed that it was part of a residential care home. Tracy captured footage of elderly patients, some she claimed with dementia, being wheeled inches past her sunbed ‘every five minutes’.

Claiming she felt misled, the mum-of-three says she’d ‘never have’ booked the hotel if she had known about its alternative purpose.

She has since filed a complaint with holiday booking service Loveholidays for not disclosing it was part of a care home – claiming it’s ‘not appropriate for kids’.

Loveholidays said since Tracy’s feedback they ‘became aware’ that the hotel accommodates residential care guests in a designated portion of the resort.

They have temporarily removed it from sale while they ‘investigate further’ with their accommodation partner.

Tracy, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, said: “We went to reception to speak about [my] case and they were quite rude so that already got my back up.

“The manager was walking past and there were these wheelchairs and I said ‘excuse me, is this residential?’.

“He said ‘yeah there are just three’ [elderly residents] and I went ‘you’re having a laugh, there’s about ten just gone past me’. So part of it has a residential care home attached to it.

“My biggest complaint is about the care home because I would never ever have booked that hotel if I had known that.

“I’m not discriminating against old people, but a couple of them were verbal so they were going past us verbally moaning. It’s not appropriate for kids.”

In response to her initial complaint, Tracy claims a Loveholidays rep told her hotels ‘operate under their own policies and discretion regarding who they accommodate and this is outside of our control’.

The rep also stated that after ‘carefully reviewing’ the evidence provided it ‘is not sufficient to support a claim for compensation’.

Loveholidays have since issued an apology and a full refund.

Tracy said: “There were nine of us that went and it’s a holiday we’re not going to get back.

“It’s just been very blasé that the hotel doesn’t need to state what clientele they have and I just think that’s disgusting.

“A care home with at least ten residents being wheeled past you every five, ten minutes, I find it bizarre.

“It’s just a weird experience to go on holiday and have wheelchairs coming past you all day.

“I just feel I was misled because I would never have booked it if I had known.

“Some people might not be bothered but it bothered me, I just would never have booked it.

“I am a bit of a holiday princess, I go away quite a lot and I do like a nice hotel.

“For a four star it was shocking.”

A Loveholidays spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry that Ms Haslam and her family’s experience at their hotel in Tunisia fell short of our usual high standards.

“We are investigating the issues raised with the accommodation provider as a priority, and have removed the hotel from sale whilst this investigation is underway.

“We have been in touch with Ms Haslam to offer our apologies and a full refund of the cost of her accommodation.”

The hotel has been contacted for comment.

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