United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Pensioner offered compensation for ‘disappointing’ Benidorm holiday
Thomas Cook has offered a pensioner £566 compensation for a holiday to Benidorm, which the 81-year-old says was ruined by too many Spanish guests in the hotel.
However, Thomas Cook made it clear the offer was to compensate for its failure to inform the client and her friend of a last-minute flight change and not due to her disappointment in the choice of hotel.
Freda Jackson, a grandmother of six, had asked for all her money back or a free holiday after her two-week trip to the Poseidon Playa, for which she and a friend paid £1,133.
She claims she cried at the end of holiday, which she says was ruined because the hotel was full of ‘rude’ Spaniards.
"They really got on our nerves because they were just so rude," she told newspapers. "One evening a Spanish guy nearly knocked me flying and he just walked off without even apologising.
"The entertainment in the hotel was all focused and catered for the Spanish – why can’t the Spanish go somewhere else for their holidays?"
She also claimed that even though she had requested a hotel on flat ground because of her mobility issues, she was initially placed on the 14th floor. However, she accepts she was moved on the second night to the second floor.
As there were no reps in the hotel, according to Ms Jackson, she says she had no choice but to write a letter of complaint to Thomas Cook when she returned home.
Thomas Cook initially offered a £75 voucher, but when this was refused it increased its offer to £566 to be split between the two passengers
"Due to a system error Ms Jackson was not informed of a change to her flights until six days before departure," said a spokesman.
"We are very sorry for the inconvenience this caused and are investigating to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have offered Ms Jackson and her travel companion a gesture of goodwill to try and put things right which we hope she will accept."
The retired care workers told newspapers she hasn’t decided yet whether to take the offer.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations