Food at the Holiday Inn Chessington is disgusting and left me ill!

GettingThingsDone

Hi blue_monkey -

You should definitely get your money back!!

I've been a regular at that hotel and there is always something wrong, quite often in the restaurant department. In fact during our last stay, they even managed to screw up my DF's sandwich.

Just be persistent with your complaint (I can't remember the restaurant manager's name now...) and they should be able to do something about it. We usually get things taken off the bill and, for example, some 'free' fruit or drinks.

I really don't know what is wrong with that place!!!

gtd

blue_monkey_2

uktim29 wrote: »

Surely if it's a hotel loads of people would have eaten the food therefore loads would have been ill if it was the food?

If you read again, the buffet was replenished as people ate it - only the food that we got had clearly been there for a long time and so was hard/rubbery/inedible/soggy.... so because no-one had eaten for (maybe) 45 minutes as the restaurant was 15 minutes from closing there was no need to replenish that food. The lasagne I ate had been there a while and there was one piece missing so only one person had that, but if it had been put on the buffet at, say, 8.30 it would have been left sitting there since then. This is what I want to get to the bottom of, what time was it placed on the buffet before I ate it. The other portion might of been taken within 1 minute of it being placed there so would have been OK, only by the time I got to it then it might not have been. This is all I want to find out. The cucumber and salad had clearly been there a while though!! I'd say all night.

The tongs were so hot that we had to use our sleeves pulled down to be able to pick them up.

blue_monkey_2

GettingThingsDone wrote: »

Hi blue_monkey -

You should definitely get your money back!!

I've been a regular at that hotel and there is always something wrong, quite often in the restaurant department. In fact during our last stay, they even managed to screw up my DF's sandwich.

Just be persistent with your complaint (I can't remember the restaurant manager's name now...) and they should be able to do something about it. We usually get things taken off the bill and, for example, some 'free' fruit or drinks.

I really don't know what is wrong with that place!!!

gtd

Hi gtd, The hotel itself was lovely (although there were empty plates outside our room for the whole of our stay from other guests) and I was pleasantly surprised that the pool opened at 6.30am. It is handy for the park though, just being able to walk through, just you live and learn and I will go somewhere else next time for food. The hotel was not that badly priced for what you got - we got theme park tickets and breakfast too, and the breakfast looked lovely, I tried to eat it but could not, I was so disappointed about that. We only ever have cooked breakfasts when away for the night.

A man we spoke to in the lift had just paid £9 for a GLASS of wine for his wife!! :eek:

Mark7799

GettingThingsDone wrote: »

Hi blue_monkey -

You should definitely get your money back!!

I've been a regular at that hotel and there is always something wrong, quite often in the restaurant department. In fact during our last stay, they even managed to screw up my DF's sandwich.

Just be persistent with your complaint (I can't remember the restaurant manager's name now...) and they should be able to do something about it. We usually get things taken off the bill and, for example, some 'free' fruit or drinks.

I really don't know what is wrong with that place!!!

gtd

If there's "always something wrong" why do you keep going back there?

blue_monkey_2

Mark7799 wrote: »

If there's "always something wrong" why do you keep going back there?

The hotel in itself is great, just because the food is wrong, you can always choose to eat somewhere else. When we was checking in someone was complaining about something, when we was checking out someone was complaining so something. So soemthing must be going wrong.

But the location is great - right outside CWOA gates for when the park opens - and there is a nice pool that opens early, the kids have their own room, the room was clean (TV not working but as it was late it was not a problem). It is just conveniently located, I'd go again and we will go again next year - but I will not touch the buffet again.

pinkshoes

It was a buffet, so quite easy to take a look/prod the food before paying for it, as see what you were actually getting for your money!

If I'd paid £15.95 a head, and it was that bad, I'd certainly complain at the time!! It's very difficult for the hotel to know the food is bad if people don't say anything!!

As for feeling ill, if it was only you, then it was more likely to have been a bug or something else you ate, as the food would have made MANY people ill. Food poisoning will make it come out of both ends!

Personally I would put this down to experience, and in future if you have a problem with something, then say so at the time. The hotel has probably looked in their complaints book to see who complained about the food on that day, and as you didn't say anything, then in their view you could just be pulling a fast one to get some money out of them.

Why didn't you just take a look at the manky food, then drive to McDonalds?!

GettingThingsDone

Why do I keep going back?

It's a good modern hotel, good rooms, beds, staff etc. It's a good location for me and I the points are useful.

That's why it's so annoying when they screw up.

And every time they do, and it significantly affects me, I negotiate something of benefit to me. I understand they can't get everything right all the time, but I'm a paying guest!

So now I get a good deal whenever I stay

Oh, and I do write letters (OK, emails) to the manager when we come across good service etc.

gtd

blue_monkey_2

Pinkshoes, if you had a child that had autism then you would understand why! So I am not going to bother explaining again. We do not eat out anywhere because of DS, I am not used to this kind of thing. I was not going to drive around aimlessly looking for a McDonalds/Pizza Hut/Kebab Shop at 10pm at night in a strange area!! Although I am rather annoyed with myself for spending an hour and 20 minutes in the Legoland car park when I could have gone and got something to eat instead. Lesson learned there too.

The hotel have called me back as promised and they have been great. After initially telling me that the food was fresh and me telling them that it most certainly was not fresh they then went on to say that because the restaurant was quiet it was not replenished that time of night as it did not need to be!! Next time I am to tell them and they will sort something else out for me. They offered me a choice of having a free meal if I went back again or a refund - I explained this this would not be until next year because of DS condition, we only go places once a year really, so they have offered me a full refund.

So all sorted and the report has been done, I do not know what I wait to hear from that. I've learned a lesson though. I've never had to complain before and things were different that night because of DS and because it was so late. Next time there will not be a 'so late' as we have usually eaten long before then.

GTD, yes, the hotel was great, I even told them on the phone that we loved the hotel itself and we would not be going back, I said the breakfast looked fab too and you could see it being replenished if you have a buffet this is what it should be like not sat there for an hour.

CFC

Glad that they met you half way

GettingThingsDone

Excellent - glad you got your refund. They know they have problems, so hopefully they'll get to the bottom of it one day soon.

If you ever do go back, there's a BP with a M&S nearby which is useful for food and drinks.

gtd