Family Recieves Alternate Stay 250 Miles Away From Cornish Resort That They Booked 6 Months Ago

Ian Tomlinson and his family had booked six months in advance to spend their summer holiday at the Retallack Resort near Newquay, Cornwall.

A family was left “in tears” after their luxury staycation at a five-star Cornish resort fell through and they were offered an alternate stay 250 miles away in a London suburb.

Ian Tomlinson and his family had booked six months in advance to spend their summer holiday at the Retallack Resort near Newquay, Cornwall.

Family Recieves Alternate Stay 250 Miles Away From Cornish Resort That They Booked 6 Months AgoThe hotel is one of Cornwall’s top watersports centers, featuring an aqua park, a floating volleyball court, a wave pool, and wakeboarding.

After a four-hour drive, he arrived at the hotel to find that the hotel had no record of their booking through Booking.com and that they could not fit them in.

Alerted to their plight, Booking.com sent an email telling the family that they had found them a similar alternative – in Uxbridge, a London suburb close to Slough.

In the email, the agency said it hoped they were “having a great day”, the Guardian reports.

Ian failed to get in touch with Booking.com, despite numerous attempts. His family had to flee the country.

“Uxbridge was 250 miles away and not a place anyone would choose to have a holiday,” Ian shared his story with the paper.

Family Recieves Alternate Stay 250 Miles Away From Cornish Resort That They Booked 6 Months Ago

“I had two very tired, upset children who were looking forward to all the resort’s attractions including a FlowRider wave machine for surfing, and my wife was in tears. We were not having a great day.”

Ian was contacted by the travel agency 11 days later. They said that the hotel had been overbooked, and would consider refunding the cost of Ian’s stay. But they wouldn’t compensate for any emotional trauma.

The online travel agency refunded the family’s expenses and paid them £700 in compensation but did not explain how the error occurred.

A spokesperson for Booking.com said: “In exceptional circumstances where a property is unable to accommodate a guest, we always seek to rectify that immediately and will be working with this partner to ensure all future guests have a good experience.”

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