Travel question: The reviews say our hotel is unclean... can we cancel?

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Hotel buffets can be holiday camps for microbes (Getty/iStock)

Q Our family is due next week to take an all-inclusive holiday. I have seen online reviews that show we are booked at a notoriously bad hotel relating to sickness. The holiday firm says there isn’t a problem and that we won’t be able to cancel without losing almost all our money. But are we allowed to get our money back or switch holidays on the grounds of health and safety?

Name withheld

A Assuming you have booked a proper package, then the obligation of the holiday company is specified in law. As Abta, the travel association, says: “Your travel company is responsible for making sure that you get the holiday you paid for. If something isn’t provided or isn’t as expected, and your travel company or its suppliers is at fault, they will need to sort this out for you – either resolving the issue, offering an alternative or providing a full or partial refund.” In addition, Abta notes, you may be able to claim compensation.

Naturally you don’t want compensation – you want to have a happy and problem-free holiday.

While online reviews are an excellent source of information and opinion, they have no legal force.

Even if the travel firm admits there is a hygiene problem, what is happening in a resort (or aboard a cruise ship for that matter) right now should be very different next week, since of course the company is obliged to deal with it.

Consequently, whenever hygiene scares arise the intending holidaymaker has little choice but to wait to see if the travel firm offer an alternative location or refund. If you decide not to go, then normal terms and conditions will apply – and at this stage that typically means losing 90 per cent of the cost.

Sometimes holiday companies will allow transfers, and it is worth asking (possibly again) since Easter bookings are lower than usual and the firm may have availability elsewhere.

Assuming you are unable to change, then I suggest some straightforward steps to minimise the chances of contracting something nasty. Hotel buffets can be holiday camps for microbes, with food sitting around for hours. Most buffets, in my experience, have a grill where you can see the food cooked freshly in front of you. That is where I spend most of my time. Pasta and rice, in my experience is generally safe, as are cooked vegetable straight from the kitchen.

The other source of infection is picking up bugs from surfaces in public areas. Take hand sanitiser or wipes and deploy them before eating anything, even an ice-cream.

Best of all in terms of health (though not finances, as you have already paid for all your meals) is to forego the hotel meals and instead eat at cafes and restaurants outside the complex, especially those with plenty of locals dining.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder