Campylobacter reported by holidaymaker at the Hovima Hotel Costa Adeje in Tenerife
The Hovima Hotel Costa Adeje in Tenerife
Situated on the coast of Tenerife, which is one of the Canary Islands, the Hovima Hotel Costa Adeje is advertised by TUI (formerly branded as TUI) on an all-inclusive basis to British holidaymakers. The resort has a range of facilities and overall has very positive reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor, however, our client experienced problems with hygiene and illness during their stay earlier this year.
Holidaymaker reports contracting Campylobacter
Our client contacted us to say that a few days into their stay at the Hovima, they began to experience the symptoms of a severe gastric illness, starting with watery diarrhoea. They advised us that they also suffered from flu-like symptoms, including vomiting, nausea, headaches, a fever and shivers, with their illness lasting for over 2 weeks.
They say that when visiting the buffet dining areas of the hotel, they found that food that should have been hot was often lukewarm, and at times they say that it was colder than that. Our client says that they believe that this was due to the hotel Bain-Maries being used to serve the buffet dishes not being adequately monitored, suggesting that regular temperature checks and adjustments could have saved them from their holiday illness nightmare.
Although they didn’t see a medical practitioner while they were staying at the Hovima Hotel Costa Adeje, once they returned to the UK, our client visited their GP and had a stool sample test carried out. They have informed us that the results of their test showed that they had contracted the harmful Campylobacter bacteria.
What you need to know about Campylobacter
Campylobacter is a harmful strain of bacteria that can be contracted through food poisoning, with undercooked poultry and red meats, as well as contaminated dairy products and water being known sources of this hazardous infection.
If you contract Campylobacter, you can expect to experience symptoms that can include diarrhoea, which in some instances can be bloody, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and stomach cramping, a general feeling of uneasiness or malaise, as well as a fever. To put it another way; this harmful strain of bacteria is enough to have a noticeable impact on your holiday enjoyment.
If you suffer from food poisoning symptoms for a prolonged period of time, or if you have a pre-existing health condition, it’s important that you advise your holiday rep or hotelier of your condition. As well as being able to provide you with access to local medical facilities and practitioners, they can take steps to reduce the risk that another guest will become unwell, such as putting more effective hygiene measures in place and addressing the root cause of infection.
By advising your package holiday company representative and a member of staff at your all-inclusive hotel, you also have a record of when your illness began. In addition to giving medical practitioners more information about when your condition began, this can also be beneficial in the event that you need to make a compensation claim.
Find out if you can claim holiday illness compensation
In the event that you contract a pathogen such as Campylobacter or suffer from a gastric illness on an all-inclusive package holiday and it can be shown that your tour operator did not take reasonable steps to prevent you from becoming unwell, then under The Package Travel Regulations 1992, you might be entitled to claim compensation from them.
You can find out more about claiming compensation from your tour operator, including whether you’re eligible to make a ‘no win no fee‘ claim by contacting a member of our specialist travel law team. We can provide you with a brief free no-obligation consultation, during which we can assess your case and advise you of the best way to proceed with your complaint.
Contact us for free no-obligation holiday illness claims advice
To find out more about claiming compensation; contact Andrew Tarling by filling in our enquiry form and we will call you back, or call us directly on 08081293329.