Gardenia Plaza Sharm el Sheikh uncovered by Secret Tourist

AUGUST 2010

Serious health and safety issues were uncovered at the Gardenia Plaza Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, when the fourth episode of the BBC programme, Secret Tourist, was aired in August, 2010.

A family of four were sent undercover to stay at the Gardenia Plaza, which would normally cost approximately £3,500.As soon as the family entered their room they discovered dirty bed sheets and towels, hairs in the shower and broken fittings in the bedroom. All rooms allocated by the undercover film crew were dirty, and the family of four ended up cleaning their own room the next day.

The next day they were woken up by noisy construction work being carried out below their room, and by planes flying out of Sharm El Sheikh International Airport. While exploring the hotel complex, the family discovered loose screws and bolts on the slide in the childrens´ playground, and a metal spike sticking out of the ground, which could have caused serious injury. Loose electric cables were hanging from the walls, and manhole covers were missing.

Cockroaches and other insects were seen around the main food serving areas of the hotel. Promoted as an all inclusive hotel, the Gardenia Plaza charged extra for bottled water, pizza and other snacks which were not deemed to be included in the price. Only one restaurant in five catered for all inclusive guests, and the family had to pay extra to use the water slides in the pools.

A ´luxurious´ health club was also advertised at the hotel, which consisted of broken gym equipment, and a  jacuzzi covered in flies and cigarette butts. Both children suffered rashes on their face, and the local doctor charged £50 to treat them.
An undercover health and hygiene consultant, working for the BBC, checked the levels of chlorine in the pool, which measured 4.56. Safe levels should be no more than 2.00, which would go a long way to explaining the rash on the childrens´ faces. Ice and drinking water also contained the same bacteria found in faeces, and the bacteria in the water was more than 200 times more than the safe limit, causing risk of infection and illness.

The expert also tested the water in the jacuzzi, and found that the level of bacteria was over 100 times the safe limit, which could seriously cause skin and ear infections.The BBC informed the hotel management of their findings at the Gardenia Plaza and re-visited the resort 10 weeks later, only to find nothing had improved.
If you have become ill while staying at the Gardenia Plaza Hotel, Egypt, you should contact us as soon as possible.

We specialise in claiming compensation for holidaymakers who have suffered illness in package tour hotels through no faults of their own, and our Holiday Claims Expert, Anne Thomson, can help you claim the compensation you deserve. Anne has over 25 years´ experience of handling holiday illness compensation claims.  We work on a no win, no fee basis and you keep 100% of the compensation. Call Anne on: 080001 54321 or fill in the online claim form.