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“Bugs crawled on the mattress, pillows and walls” – hardly any beneficial for a good sleep.Photo: Lamara Dalzous/Alamy
I used Booking.com to book a bed Safestay Holland Park Hostel On a working trip to London this month. Arrive At midnight I discovered bugs that crawl on the mattress, pillows And walls. The staff moved me to another building that was also affected. I spent the night awake at the reception.
The exhaustion forced me to take a dawn train home and cost a new ticket and my freelance fee because I couldn’t work. I also had to buy new clothes and carry out several washing cycles so as not to take the infestation with me.
My expenses amounted to £ 265. Since then I have read dozens of comments on review websites who report bugs in the same hostel and similar complaints about three of the other five Safestay hostels in Great Britain.
After submitting a formal report, Kensington and Chelsea Council forced the pest control treatment. The hostel manager offered compensation of £ 250, but I still wait while Booking.com did not answer my complaint. In my affected room, other guests were left without measures. It seems one Systemic failure of Security and corporate responsibility.
MF, exeter
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There are graphics reports on review websites that go back to 2022, including guests who spend the night before and after Holland Park Hostel. Accommodation providers are legally obliged to ensure that the rooms are safe and hygienic, which means that the infestation is discovered as soon as they are discovered.
I asked Safestay why the bugs, which were clearly visible on arrival, were not discovered by housekeeping. It insists that daily inspections are carried out and a pest control company treats outbreaks.
“We apologize,” it says. “As soon as we have been notified, we have planned the treatment and the affected rooms were blocked. Environmental health visited and is satisfied with the measures.”
I asked Booking.com why, given the importance of the problem, it had not reacted to her complaint immediately. It did not answer that, but immediately issued a refund and spanned the hostel from its platform. It says: “We contacted the partner to ensure that the problem will be resolved immediately.”
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