Angry British holidaymakers have staged a sit-in demonstration at a luxury Caribbean hotel, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The protest apparently came about when the British holidaymakers, who had booked their vacation in the Dominican Republic through travel company Thomson, suffered an invasion by a large party of locals on bargain breaks at the luxury resort, ClubHotel Riu Merengue. The rowdy newcomers allegedly defecated in the hotel swimming pool, which forced its closure, and took all of the food from the hotel buffet, leaving none for anyone else. It was also claimed that they urinated on the hotel’s sun loungers while they were in use.
The Daily Mail reported that one of the complainants, Tony Walton from Doncaster in the UK, had had his GBP12,000 family holiday ruined by the invasion, while Thomson had only offered him GBP30 as compensation. He claimed that when complaints were made to hotel staff they suggested that paying for excursions would be a way to escape from the problems at the hotel.
It was Mr Walton who arranged the sit-in at the Thomson desk, attended by between 50 and 60 other disgruntled holidaymakers, a move that eventually gained them a transfer to another hotel with fewer amenities. Mr Walton also claimed that he and a large percentage of the hotel guests had suffered stomach upsets during their stay.
Speaking to MailOnline, a spokesman for Thomson said, ‘Thomson is sorry to hear that Mr Walton was disappointed with his stay at the Riu Merengue in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. We are aware that some customers expressed a disappointment with the levels of service during high occupancy and, as a gesture of goodwill, have moved them to a hotel nearby, including Mr Walton’s party. We are not aware of any reported cases of illness and the majority of customers at the hotel have opted to stay and continue their holiday. Thomson takes customer satisfaction very seriously and is currently working with the hotelier to fully investigate Mr Walton’s complaint.’
Mr Walton has said that he will be taking legal advice on his return to the UK.
