5.0 
The Aska Lara Resort & Spa is promoted as a ‘signature’ hotel by Thomas Cook. Reviews of the hotel are generally good, but there have been some unfavourable opinions posted in recent months. Holiday Claims Bureau have been contacted by a family after members of their their party fell ill after consuming the food provided at the resort as part of their all-inclusive package holidays.
They state that trays of old food were ‘topped up’ with fresh supplies and that foods were left uncovered for long periods in the all-inclusive restaurant.
Where hygiene standards slip and holidaymakers suffer illness as a result, the the operator responsible for the package should compensate customers appropriately. You will normally have to pursue matters through formal legal channels in order for your claim to be properly considered. Holiday Claims Bureau are here to help if you have been similarly affected.
Recent reviews also intimate that different hotel rooms within Aska Lara Resort & Spa have suffered infestations of bed bugs. Separate visitors took to TripAdvisor to raise the issue:
“We have just returned from a family holiday with a horrific nightmare of bed bugs. We have just returned from a family holiday with a horrific nightmare of bed bugs…When my daughter came in we brought in the cleaner and when she lifted the mattress I was physically sick. There was loads of these creatures and some were very big so they had been there quite a while.”
“My room was infested with bed bugs. The bed was riddled with them.”
“We found 2 bed bugs (within 1 hour!!!) but when reporting to Guest services they said there is nothing they can do about it, claiming it was a bug that came into the room through the window.”
Holiday Claims Bureau director and solicitor Michael Walker has the following advice for package holiday customers whose holiday has been affected by bed bugs:
“Bed bug bites are unpleasant and can become infected. Having these creatures in your hotel room is of course unexpected and their presence alone can be distressing for the party”.
It’s important to get photographic evidence of any infestation; it’s also helpful to get details of anyone else affected. Bed bugs can be brought in by other visitors, for example in luggage and they are not attracted by dirt. However, the hotel should be on the lookout for them and when they are identified, take appropriate steps to de-infest affected rooms. In pursuing a claim, if the Tour Operator is to be held responsible, it will be important to establish that they failed to properly treat or manage an infestation. These factors are actually more important than the source of the bed bugs and ‘strength in numbers’ across several different rooms or parties can be an enormous help in proving a claim. As with any package holiday claim, make sure your concerns and any illness / infection are reported, and that you obtain a copy of the formal report.”
If the bed bugs have bitten your holiday, or if you’ve fallen ill after eating contaminated food at the Aska Lara Resort & Spa, call now on 01618 132 131 or use Holiday Claim Bureau’s contact form to see how we could help you recover damages for your pain, suffering and other losses.
