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Holiday Claims Bureau (HCB) secured £2,800 in a dairy allergy compensation claim for a woman who suffered an allergic reaction at a UK hotel conference. The settlement was separate from a £450 room refund she had already received.
She had repeatedly asked whether the food was safe for her to eat. The reaction that followed affected her skin, disrupted a pre-booked break abroad and left her anxious about eating food she had not prepared herself.
The client’s name and identifying details have been withheld. The banner image is illustrative and does not show the client or the venue.
Repeated checks before she ate
The client attended a conference at a UK hotel in June 2026. The venue had been told about her dietary restrictions, including the need to avoid milk.
When looking at the evening canapés, she asked staff to see the allergen chart. According to the claim documents, staff told her that two items were suitable, including one described as a sweet potato ball served in a sauce.
She asked around three times whether it was safe to eat and received repeated assurances. A colleague overheard the conversation. She then ate some of the food, which was subsequently reported to contain milk.
A reaction that affected the weeks afterwards
After eating, she developed an itchy, irritated facial rash, with swelling and discomfort. She also described a constricted feeling in her throat and feeling tense and anxious.
She sought pharmacy advice and later saw her GP. In the subsequent independent medical assessment, she reported being particularly unwell for around five days and recovering from the physical reaction over approximately three-and-a-half weeks.
The reaction also caused her to miss work before a pre-booked break abroad began a few days later. Instead of enjoying the trip as planned, she remained unwell and worried about being exposed to milk again.
A planned break disrupted
She told the medical expert that she was unable to take part in planned yoga activities for around three days and felt unwell during the five-day trip.
Confidence around food affected
The report recorded anxiety about eating food she had not prepared herself, extending beyond the initial physical reaction.
During the later medical assessment by video, the expert could not identify any visible residual injury. The expert expected any remaining food-related anxiety to resolve by around nine months after the incident. This was a prognosis, rather than confirmation that her anxiety had already resolved.
A complaint and a separate £450 room refund
The claim documents record that she reported the incident to staff the following day and emailed the venue. According to that account, the head chef apologised and accepted fault during a telephone call. The venue also paid a £450 room refund as a gesture of goodwill, but she did not receive a full refund for the conference.
The £450 had already been refunded separately. It was not the settlement of her injury claim.
The room refund addressed only part of the incident’s consequences. The claim still needed to address the reaction itself, its duration and the wider effects described in the medical evidence.
How Holiday Claims Bureau progressed the claim
The team submitted a claim setting out what the venue had been told, the assurances given about the food and the reaction that followed. It alleged failures in the handling of the client’s dietary requirements, allergen information and food preparation. Liability was formally admitted.
HCB also obtained an independent medical report to assess the injuries and their effect on the client’s life. The report considered her physical recovery, the disruption to her planned break and her anxiety about further exposure.
A £2,800 settlement in November 2026
Following the submission of the claim and the medical evidence, Holiday Claims Bureau negotiated a settlement of £2,800. This was in addition to the separate £450 room refund and before deduction of the 25% success fee.
This case illustrates why an injury claim needs to consider the physical reaction and its wider effects, even where a venue has already provided a refund. Another claim’s outcome and value will depend on its own circumstances and evidence.
If you suffered an allergic reaction after relying on information from a hotel, restaurant or another food business, our food allergy claims page explains the types of case the team can assess.
