A COUPLE have been left furious at Booking.com after being booked into a "bomb site" hotel that looked like a "derelict old house".

Pamela McInally and Mark Fletcher claim that they were confronted with mounds of rubbish, used urinals and an abandoned mattress when they checked in to the Blackpool Promenade Hotel in Blackpool, Lancashire, on April 9.

The pair, both 33, were so horrified that they allegedly walked out in disgust after just minutes in their room.

Pamela, from Paisley, Scotland, said: "It was disgusting. I was never expecting to see what I did. It was dirty, the floors were disgusting, the reception was non-existent.

"There was a mattress in the hallway. I wouldn't let a homeless person stay there. I was in shock, it wasn't right."

Meanwhile, Mark said: "It was horrific. As soon as we walked into reception there were alarm bells.

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"The room directly opposite had the door wide open, it was full of rubbish. There were holes in the wall, the urinals were covered in pee, s*** and toilet roll.

"We thought 'oh my god'. We just wanted to see the room and see if it was doable, we weren't expecting The Ritz. It looked like a bomb site, it was bad."

He added: "It was cheap enough. We had been out all day, we were only going to be in there for a bed and a shower.

"The hotel looks nothing like it does on the website."

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They claimed that their family of six marched back to reception, handed over the keys to the £68 room and requested a refund.

However, they said that they were told to ask the booking website for their money back and were then forced to fork out a £200 deposit and £100 fee for new accommodation that evening.

Pamela and Mark were outraged when Booking.com responded 48 hours later telling them that they would not receive a refund as they had checked in to the Promenade and stayed there overnight.

The site said that they take "any complaint seriously" and are looking into the couple's case.

Meanwhile, the hotel insists that they did, in fact, stay the night, despite an email confirmation of their booking elsewhere.

Staff also claimed that the description of the hotel's condition were not a "true representation" and that the rooms that appear to be filled with rubbish are "out of order" but had been left open to allow builders working on the hotel to access them.

They also said that Pamela and Mark had not made a complaint, though the couple have since provided an audio recording of their phone call to reception doing so.

Pamela added: "It's not even about the refund anymore, I just don't want other people to stay there because they might not have the money to get another apartment.

"It took a big chunk of our spending money."

The hotel is rated 'poor' on Booking.com with a rating of 3.4/10.

One reviewer wrote: "The front of the hotel was disgraceful it was dirty and full of rubbish.

"l thought we had walked into a derelict old house. It was disgusting so I wouldn't recommend this hotel and I wouldn't be going back again."

A hotel spokesperson said: "We must start by saying we operate a budget hotel and our hotel's facilities do reflect its prices.

"However the pictures shared online are not a true representation of our hotel. The pictures shared are from rooms which are out of order and they were only left open as the builders were in and out working between the rooms.

"These rooms we do not let out as they are under renovation due to a major leak which happened recently – this has been repaired and doesn’t affect any other rooms than the one pictured, which is not open to anyone except builders.

"We have only just started the business and understand there is a lot of work needed to get the hotel to the high standard we would like."

They added that they keep their rooms to a "high standard of cleanliness" and provide a "good quality service" that is "value for money".

The spokesperson continued: "We would not allow the rooms in the pictures to be let out to any guest.

"The guest stayed at the property and didn’t leave as stated in the review. At no time did the guest make a complaint to front desk or contact the hotel phone to do so.

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"We are sorry in this circumstance that this had to escalate to such an extent however we completely disagree that these images and the review are a true reflection of our hotel."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Booking.com said: "We take any complaint seriously and are currently looking into the details raised."

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