Martin contacted JPS Walker Solicitors after suffering bed big bites during his stay at the Best Western hotel, Wembley in April 2019.
He was booked to stay at the 3-star hotel for 5 nights and on the second day, noticing red bite marks over his face, back and arms. The following day, he started to notice bites on his legs.
“Bed bugs crawling all over the bed”
On the 3rd night, things began to take their toll. “At first I wasn’t sure why I was getting bitten, until I noticed beg bugs crawling all over the bed” Martin said. “It was horrendous. I took a video.”
Alarmed, Martin reported this to reception and was informed he would have to wait until the following morning before he could speak to a manager. He was subsequently moved to a different hotel room for the final night.
Offer “unacceptable”
Aware of Martin’s experience, the online travel agency he made the hotel booking with transferred £149 into his bank account by way of an apology.
However, given the distressing experience he’d been through, Martin rejected the offer and sought legal advice from JPS Walker Solicitors.
Client wins damages of £1370
While they are a public health concern, bed bugs, despite the symptoms they can cause, are not known to transmit disease through their bites. However, almost all bed bug bites will produce some degree of discomfort, typically inflammation and itchiness.
This is not something you expect to endure at any hotel, let alone a major chain. The hotel has a responsibility to ensure rooms are checked and treated on a regular basis to prevent such incidents from occurring.
Bed bugs can be extremely difficult to see and hide in many places, including mattresses, bed frames, furniture, behind frames, loose wallpaper and even on clothes.
We set out the legal basis of Martin’s claim and put together the notification form for submission to the hotel’s insurer.
The hotel insurer admitted liability for the incident. We obtained an expert report detailing the injuries Martin had suffered; the bites took around a month to heal and he was anxious about sleeping in beds other than his own for some months afterwards.
Our file handler negotiated a settlement of £1,370 for Martin’s injuries and out-of-pocket expenses.
Have you been affected by bed bug bites?
Speak to the legal team here at JPS Walker Solicitors to receive expert legal advice and help to pursue a successful claim for compensation on a No Win No fee basis.
Call 0161 713 5575 or complete the contact form below and a solicitor will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
