Can a hotel charge for cleaning up after vacation?

[JonnyBoy12]

I know this question should be put in Law, but this really is very urgent, and I would appreciate any advice on this from anyone who has has a similar experience.

Last weekend I spent 3 nights in a hotel in Blackpool, which shall remain nameless (perhaps I should name it to shame them) which cost me a total of �75. All went well, and I thought nothing more of it, until this evening when I get home I find a letter from them saying I had left the room in an unacceptable state, and they are demanding a bill of �65 from me, saying this is what it has cost them to clean it. The only thing out of the ordinary is that admittedly I did vomit once during this stay, but that was into the toilet, and not anywhere else. Vomit being water based should be very easy to clean off, and should not be hard to clean. They are saying that if I do not pay this bill then they will take legal action against me. They also state I am not welcome at this hotel again, which is superflous, as I will not stay at this hotel if it is the last one on Earth.

They also say that this happened last time, which is untrue, as if this were the case then they should have addressed the problem there and then, and not allowed me to stay there. Are there any legal experts out there who can advise me, as to whether they are just trying it on to get more money out of me. I know there is a soiling charge of �80 in a taxi, but this is not a taxi, and things like vomit should not be a problem.

Can anyone in the know please advise me, as I do not want to pay this bill, but do not wish legal action to be taken again me either?

Thanks for any replies!

[redcrx]

if things like cleaning up vomit are not a problem then why didnt you clean it?

Would you want to clean up vomit that wasnt yours or your immediate family's? I certainly wouldnt, think of the germs it may contain at the very least!

[DONNNAKEBAB]

Johnny, essentially they cant as you have not entered into a contract with them for damages like you would in a taxi.

Go on, tell us the name of the hotel. I live in Blackpool and I am pmpl here.

I have friends, many of them who run hotels and this is what they expect EVERY weekend. How did you pay the hotel ?

Katie. x

[Tichfield]

They can sue you, but whether they will is another matter.

There is one way to find out. Don't pay them and see what happens.

[pusspuss]

did you have any food in this hotel if yes why not tell them you are reporting them to the environmental health department for suspected food poisoning

[DONNNAKEBAB]

Johnny. If they were to take legal action first they would have to PROVE BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT that it was you that made the mess and they would hardly be using DNA experts to do this would they. Ignore the letter, when they write again, the postmark will be Blackers and you simply return it to sender.

CHANCERS HUN ! and in answer to your question, they dont have leg to stand on !

Katie. x

[pusspuss]

it might have been a donnakebab that upset his tummy

[Tichfield]

In a CIVIL case you don't have to prove beyond all reasonable doubt - you just have to show that on the balance of probabilities your case is the one that is true.

If the hotel have a witness to their allegations - and you don't have a witness - you will probably lose.

[DONNNAKEBAB]

puss ha ha !

Sorry Tichfield ! Naff info there on my part.

[JonnyBoy12]

Wow, thanks for the speedy answers, folks!

The hotel is called the Woodfield Hotel in Woodfield Road.

How could they produce a witness to this, if I was the only resident in the room? I presume they will send a letter from a det collection agency round, but what would happen then.

To explain myself further I vomited in the toilet, and then flushed it down. The only remaining thing were a few stains on the toilet, and if they can't cope with a little thing like that, they should not be in the hotel business.

No you come to mention it, I think I may have got food poisoning there. Why else would I have thrown up?

[formergpWTF]

why else would i have thrown up?

errrrrrr

[Tichfield]

Witness - the cleaner?

If you do get a summons then go to court and defend it. You may well win if what you say here is true. If you ignore it you would be certain to lose the case.

[JonnyBoy12]

Sorry, forgot to say that I paid for the hotel over the Internet, which is how they have my full address. I quite agree that this is the sort of thing they have to deal with every weekend, and apart from the vomit (in the toilet) I left no other mess there at all. I make a point of cleaning up after myself.

Which debt collection agency do you think they would use, so I know what letter to expect, and what should I do then?

[Tichfield]

They won't use a debt collection agence without having got a court judgment against you. Without that a debt collector has no power to recover anything from you.

[Fay Mousse]

I would be mortified if I left vomit or anything else unpleasant after a stay, and would either clean it completely or bring it to the attention of the hotel staff so it could be dealt with promptly,

Did you receive any terms and conditions - a contract or such like?

[JonnyBoy12]

A court judgement against me for just puking in a toilet? Don't you think that is a bit harsh? What do you think they mean by further action if I don't pay? Are they going to come round in dead of night to seize my possession? Would a solicitor's letter to them make them back off? Sorry for all these questions, but I am new to all this, and you know more than I do about these things!

Katie, can you please send a Private Message via the Sports Bank, as need to email you personally? Thanks a lot!

[~max~]

You puked in the poilet, then flushed it? No mess outside the bowl at all? How come they even knew you did then?

[Info Bank]

Okay you say the only mess was in the Toilet Pan.

What are they saying ????

Is it different from your Version.....???

Who else had a key to the Room???

Lets rule out the Cleaner.

Its true it could be a rip off but has anyone else had the same prob Here??

[Tichfield]

They have asked yo to pay them �65.

The ball in now in your court.

If you don't pay them then they have these alternatives:

1. They do nothing, and you get away without having to pay them.

2. They issue a summons for their claim. If they do that and win their case, obtaining a judgment against you, then it will cost you their legal fees on top of the �65. On the other hand you might not lose any such case if you defend it.

[Info Bank]

Sorry JonnyBoy .

Just thinking about there responces in a Small Claim Court.

[Fay Mousse]

It is important to know if there were any terms and conditions with confirmation of the booking, or any signs anywhere in the hotel re extra cleaning charges.