Two sisters, whose stay in London was ruined by the bites they received from bedbugs present in the bedding at their hotel, have each been awarded 1,600 pounds in compensation in an out-of-court settlement.
Melanie Carmen (59) from Whitstable, Kent, and Joy McDonagh (51) from Sidcup, Kent, stayed three nights in London at the Airways Hotel in Victoria in February 2010 to celebrate Joy´s 50th birthday. However, after their first night in the hotel, both were covered in bites from an infestation of bedbugs.
They reported the issue to hotel staff and requested that they were moved to another room. However, there were also bedbugs in the change of room and, after two further nights of poor sleep, the women had a total of 138 bites between them.
After seeking legal guidance, Melanie and Joy sued the Airways Hotel for personal injury compensation and without accepting liability, the hotel settled out of court – paying each 1,600 pounds to cover the women´s medical expenses and loss of earnings as they were unable to immediately return to work after their visit to London.