A couple have vowed never to return to Butlin's after cutting their holiday short just 16 hours into their stay. Colin Newton and his wife Paula, both 63, paid £249 for a three-night break at Butlin's Skegness but say they were greeted by the stench of sick and dirty accommodation.
Upon checking in on Friday, June 26, shortly after the 4pm check-in time, the couple claimed they could 'smell sick' as soon as they entered the room. They soon noticed dried vomit on the carpet, skirting board and wall.
Attempts to resolve the issue
Mr Newton, a retired police officer, tried to contact staff using the phone number on the key card but received no answer. He then found a staff member in person, who offered to clean the room while the couple went for a meal. On their return, the mess had not been dealt with. After further unanswered calls, Mr Newton went to reception and was told someone would be sent to clean.
Mr Newton told Lincolnshire Live: 'This young lad comes in and he cleans up the vomit the best he could with it being dried on, it would have taken a jackhammer to get some of the chunks up.' He added that when his wife shut the curtains in the lounge, they found 'all thick lumps of chocolate on the curtains'. The staff member said he could not do anything about it that night but someone could change the curtains the next day.
Disturbing discoveries
At around 10.10pm, the couple discovered the bedding in both the twin and double rooms was in appalling condition. Mr Newton said: 'I went in to see her sobbing in the twin room, crying her eyes out, with something brown on the beds, I would say suspected faeces, I have no idea if it was faeces or chocolate as I wasn't getting down to examine that.' The second twin bed was relatively clean apart from a torn quilt cover, while the double bed had sand and biscuit crumbs.
Mr Newton added: 'It's obviously been used as it had stuff on there, but I could live with that, I lifted the pillow up and that's when I saw the blood on the bed and I spent 32 years as a police officer, I've seen my fair share of blood and I know what blood looks like.'
He flagged the issue and was assured fresh bedding would be brought, but by 11.30pm nobody had appeared. The couple considered using the sofa but found 'sticky haribos' and crumbs between the cushions. They stripped the double bed to sleep on the quilt minus its stained cover, but found a yellow mark on the quilt itself. They ended up sleeping on the bare mattress. By morning, they felt they 'couldn't bare to stay' and left shortly after 8am.
Refund and apology
After contacting customer services, they initially received a £41.50 refund, described as 50 percent of accommodation costs. Butlin's later increased this to £83 as a goodwill gesture. A Butlin's spokesperson said: 'We're very sorry to hear about this guest's experience during their stay at our Skegness resort. This falls well below the standards we expect and is not the experience we want any guest to have. As an apology, the guest was offered a gesture of goodwill.'
Mr Newton declined these offers, arguing the unsanitary conditions prevented them from enjoying any aspect of the break. On Wednesday, July 22, Butlin's offered a full refund. The couple have stated they will not return to Butlin's and have lodged a formal complaint with East Lindsey District Council. A council spokesperson said: 'The Council has received a complaint and is investigating accordingly. The Council has a statutory duty to investigate complaints.'
