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TUI refunds holiday after hotel creates ‘horrifying’ effigy of dead son
TUI has refunded a family’s holiday after hotel staff created a ‘horrifying’ effigy of their dead son in a ‘misguided’ attempt at a tribute.
The operator gave a full refund of £1,300 per person for the holiday after the issue was raised on BBC Three Counties radio.
Faye and Andrew Stephens, from Willesden, north-west London, have made an annual tradition of celebrating their son Alex’s birthday since his death, aged 22, in 2014.
Alex’s godmother Karen Baker, from Hertfordshire, who was also on the trip, had arranged for workers at the Royalton Jamaica Resort resort to secretly adorn the couple’s bedroom with balloons and a cake.
The BBC reports she was left ‘sweating and shaking’ when she walked in to the sight of a body made out of clothes lying on the hotel bed. The effigy had tears on his face, a can of lager in his hand and petals spelling out: "We miss you, Alex."
She said: "When I walked into the bedroom, all I can describe is a dummy body on the bed.
"Staff had gone through my friend’s wardrobe and stuffed the clothes with towels to make it look like a body on the bed. They even put tears down the face and a can of lager in his hand.
"I was absolutely horrified – as you can imagine I was sweating and shaking. We just didn’t want our friends to see it.
"I have truly never seen anything like it. I still look at the photographs now and can’t believe somebody thought to do that."
She took a photo, then removed the dummy before her friends could see it.
After the incident was highlighted on BBC Three Counties’ JVS show, TUI refunded the cost of the holiday.
A TUI UK spokesperson said: "We offer our sincere apologies to the Baker party for their holiday experience in Jamaica.
"We’re following up with the hotel and believe it was a misunderstanding with no intention to cause upset."
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Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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