Can You Claim for Holiday Sickness at a Hotel?

Our Holiday Claims Solicitors have many years’ experience dealing with a wide range of holiday illness and sickness claims, particularly in countries where outbreaks can be common, such as:

• The Caribbean
• Cape Verde
• Dominican Republic
• Egypt
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Spain
• Tenerife
• Tunisia
• Turkey

Most Common Causes of Holiday Sickness

It may not be immediately clear what’s caused your holiday sickness, but there are many possible causes to be found within a hotel or resort. This can include:

• Food being served lukewarm
• Food not being cooked thoroughly
• Food being reheated or left standing for too long
• Food and food service areas being contaminated by flies, insects, birds and other animals
• Food being touched and prepared by people carrying infection or illness
• Not using filtered water to make ice
• Using tap water to wash fruit, salad and vegetables
• Poor maintenance of swimming pools or water slides
• Public toilets not being cleaned adequately.

What Evidence Can Help My Holiday Sickness Claim?

You can improve your chances of successfully claiming compensation from a tour operator or hotel if you have evidence that shows hygiene practices were substandard.

This could include photos and videos of locations such as the hotel restaurant and buffet area, or the area in and around the swimming pool. It’s also worth getting contact details of other guests at your hotel, as other people may have got sick with similar symptoms.

This evidence could help to prove when and where you developed your illness and that failings at the hotel were responsible.

If you’ve reported your sickness to a holiday rep, you should keep any documentation or correspondence between you, such as a copy of a written record of your complaint and details of every call and conversation you’ve had. If you’ve seen a doctor or a medical professional while on holiday, you should keep copies of any documents, prescriptions and receipts for medication you bought.

If the doctor at your hotel or resort doesn’t have the facilities to take a stool sample straight away, you should request a test from your GP at home as soon as you get back to the UK. This could be vital both in strengthening any legal claim, and in diagnosing your specific holiday illness and ensuring you get the correct medical treatment.

What Can You Claim Compensation For?

If you fall ill from food poisoning or suffer from an outbreak of Cyclospora, E. Coli, Salmonella or Shigella on holiday, you may be entitled to claim compensation for:

• The pain and suffering you’ve gone through
• How much of your holiday was ruined by your illness
• Loss of earnings, both past and future
• Out of pocket expenses, such as medical fees and travel costs
• The cost of any care, support and rehabilitation you may need.

Our Holiday Claims Solicitors are specialists in Travel Law and can provide you with expert legal advice and help you get the compensation you are entitled to.