A couple’s romantic city break was ruined when they checked in to find their room was filthy and ‘covered in blood and condom wrappers’.
Luke Tait was visiting Liverpool for a late Valentine’s trip with his girlfriend and he had booked a ‘luxury suite’ at Dream Apartments in the city centre.
Mr Tait said he paid around £250 for the apartment including parking, a security fee and a late check out fee.
But the 23-year-old said the trip to Dream Apartments was ‘anything but a dream’ due to the state the room was in when they arrived.
Mr Tait booked the luxury apartment as a late Valentine’s trip as he often finds himself working away for weeks on end.
The couple said they checked in around 5pm and went up to their room to get ready for a romantic meal.
Luke Tait (pictured) booked the city break to enjoy a weekend away with his girlfriend but they were left disgusted after they were checked into an apartment that hadn’t been cleaned
Dream Apartments, in Liverpool, (pictured) said the couple were checked into the wrong room by a new member of staff but that Mr Tait was asked to leave when he became aggressive
But when they got inside the apartment they found a beer bottle next to a chair and a bin overflowing with rubbish.
The mess was even worse in the bedroom where Mr Tait found blood covering the bed and used condom wrappers littering the floor.
Mr Tait said: ‘It was disgusting in there – it was an absolute disgrace. There was blood covering the bed – and when I say covering, I mean covering.
‘We were quite agitated at this point because we had to get ready for our meal and had been looking forward to this trip for weeks.
‘I only get a couple of days off a month so anytime we have together we want to make as special as possible.’
Mr Tait said the experience went from bad to worse when he went to the reception to speak to staff about the mess.
Mr Tait claimed the staff were ‘rude and disrespectful’ – and said they would clean the room but the cleaner was working in another room and wouldn’t be free to deal with the problem until they were done.
He claims the staff didn’t offer any compensation for the mess.
The couple say the bed was covered in blood when they arrived for their romantic getaway
Mr Tait said he ‘accepts mistakes do happen’ but added: ‘as disgusting as the room was, the attitude of the staff was worse.’
He admits he lost his temper and raised his voice when complaining about the room – and he was later asked to leave the hotel because of it.
Mr Tait said his special trip with his partner was ruined and they missed their dinner booking and had to pay to stay in another hotel.
Mr Tait said he has requested a refund from Dream Apartments but has only been offered a refund for his late check out and the option to stay in the apartments in the future for free.
Mr Tait said: ‘Why would I want to return to stay in an apartment where I’ve received that kind of service?
‘With the amount of time off I get a month, every second I get with my girlfriend is precious.
‘We were made to feel like we’d inconvenienced them by asking for the room to be cleaned.
‘Our trip to Dream Apartments was anything but a dream.’
Pictures from the apartment show stained sheets and a condom wrapper on the bedside table
A spokesperson for Dream Apartments, ranked 98 out of 112 Liverpool hotels on Tripadvisor, said they have agreed to refund the couple in full after a mix-up meant they were checked into the wrong room.
The spokesman said: ‘After a thorough investigation, we have discovered that Mr Tait was accidentally checked in to a room that had not been serviced by our housekeeping department following the departure that morning.
‘A new member of the reception team who was still undergoing training unfortunately made the mistake which could have been quickly and easily resolved.
‘However, Mr Tait’s behaviour turned aggressive including swearing at staff on site, slamming doors and approaching other guests when he visited reception to report the error and he was asked to leave the premises because of this.
‘The hospitality industry is facing an incredibly challenging time due to the effects of the global pandemic and staff shortages.
‘We do have a number of new employees who are undergoing a training period and unfortunately mistakes do happen during a period of recovery.
‘We received a request from Booking.com, who Mr Tait booked through, to address his complaint and agreed to refund him in full as he did not stay at our property.
‘As Mr Tait paid the accommodation directly to Booking.com, any refund will need to be issued by them.
‘When speaking with Mr Tait’s mother, our Group Operations Manager also offered a free stay in any of our UK locations as compensation for the inconvenience.’
