WARNER Holidays is preparing for compensation claims
of more than £100,000 after a major outbreak of gastroenteritis at one of its
properties.
Around 100 guests at the three-star
Bembridge Coast Hotel on the Isle of Wight were struck down by the violent
stomach bug, forcing managers to shut the property for five days. The closure
meant 450 clients were either sent home early or had their holidays cancelled.
The viral infection is thought to have been
brought into the 234-room property by a guest and was not connected with
hygiene or food standards, making it unlikely that any of those struck down by
sickness could sue.
However, a Warner Holidays spokeswoman
admitted that financial compensation to clients who fell ill is likely. “We are
dealing with cases on an individual basis and cannot confirm at present what
form that will take,” she said.
Guests who had their holidays cut short or
cancelled have been offered refunds or alternative breaks at other Warner
properties. Typical prices for a three-night midweek stay are around £150 per
person.
The Bembridge Coast Hotel – the largest
hotel on the Isle of Wight – was full at the time of the outbreak. It was
closed on Monday on the advice of the island’s Environmental Health department.
Luckily for Warner, Monday was changeover day, so it was able to prevent new
guests from travelling.
Council environmental health manager Nigel
Coward said closing the property was the only way to break the cycle of the
virus because it
cannot survive outside the body for more
than three days.
“Warner Holidays was advised to disinfect
and steam clean the property before it reopened,” he said. “Staff with the
illness must also stay away for at least 48 hours.”
Gastroenteritis
causes severe abdominal pain, sickness and diarrhoea.