Can a hotel charge for soiled linen and mattress ?

photome

MalMonroe said:

afghanChris said:

Basically hotel have informed us that the bed linen and mattress had to be destroyed and expect us to pay £300.....
We weren't aware of any problem at the time. But having spoken to the person who slept in bed they have said they had an accident 😐 
But can hotels charge such amounts? Do they not have mattress protectors on? 
I have cancelled my debit card in case they try to take money without my knowledge!
How do I go about this? They say they will pursue for costs of replacement, loss of earnings and interest! 
Can anybody advice what to do?
Many thanks

First of all, what do the hotel's terms and conditions say?

Secondly, everyone responding here appears to have just accepted that what the hotel is saying is true. i.e. the cost of replacing bedding and mattress, etc. Is it?

Thirdly, I'd never want to stay in a hotel that doesn't use mattress protectors, but that's just me.

Yes, they can charge for damage to property, if it says so in their T&Cs and you have agreed to them.

Personally, I'd want to get all the relevant information, in writing, before I did anything.

Such as - what exactly the damage was, what condition the mattress was in before it was damaged and how much it actually cost for the hotel to put right any damage that was caused. They need to itemise a proper invoice and present it in a professional manner.

They can pursue you all they like (and it will cost them to do so) but there's no need for them to be so aggressive because first of all, you need to request that professional itemised invoice so you can consider their request. Don't panic.

Also, I don't think the person who caused the damage should be made to feel any more embarrassed than they probably do already.

Have you stayed in a hotel with a plastic mattress protector ?   Any other type would not have helped

Laz123

This post begs too many questions which in my experience will remain unexplained.

neilmcl

Laz123 said:

This post begs too many questions which in my experience will remain unexplained.

Let's be grateful for small mercies 😁

Andy_L

pinkshoes said:

afghanChris said:

Basically hotel have informed us that the bed linen and mattress had to be destroyed and expect us to pay £300.....
We weren't aware of any problem at the time. But having spoken to the person who slept in bed they have said they had an accident 😐 
But can hotels charge such amounts? Do they not have mattress protectors on? 
I have cancelled my debit card in case they try to take money without my knowledge!
How do I go about this? They say they will pursue for costs of replacement, loss of earnings and interest! 
Can anybody advice what to do?
Many thanks

To be fair, even a mattress protector isn't going to save the mattress from that sort of accident! And no "nice" hotel will be using those plastic ones!

The £300 will depend on the quality and age of mattress. If it is a £280 mattress and £20 of linen that was brand new bought that week then yes the £300 seems reasonable. If the mattress was older then they cannot charge you for a brand new one as that would be betterment. How you are going to prove the age of the mattress I have no idea!

Perhaps offer them £100 as a good will gesture to close the matter?

There will be the cost of disposing of the old one as well 

user1977

photome said:

MalMonroe said:

afghanChris said:

Basically hotel have informed us that the bed linen and mattress had to be destroyed and expect us to pay £300.....
We weren't aware of any problem at the time. But having spoken to the person who slept in bed they have said they had an accident 😐 
But can hotels charge such amounts? Do they not have mattress protectors on? 
I have cancelled my debit card in case they try to take money without my knowledge!
How do I go about this? They say they will pursue for costs of replacement, loss of earnings and interest! 
Can anybody advice what to do?
Many thanks

First of all, what do the hotel's terms and conditions say?

Secondly, everyone responding here appears to have just accepted that what the hotel is saying is true. i.e. the cost of replacing bedding and mattress, etc. Is it?

Thirdly, I'd never want to stay in a hotel that doesn't use mattress protectors, but that's just me.

Yes, they can charge for damage to property, if it says so in their T&Cs and you have agreed to them.

Personally, I'd want to get all the relevant information, in writing, before I did anything.

Such as - what exactly the damage was, what condition the mattress was in before it was damaged and how much it actually cost for the hotel to put right any damage that was caused. They need to itemise a proper invoice and present it in a professional manner.

They can pursue you all they like (and it will cost them to do so) but there's no need for them to be so aggressive because first of all, you need to request that professional itemised invoice so you can consider their request. Don't panic.

Also, I don't think the person who caused the damage should be made to feel any more embarrassed than they probably do already.

Have you stayed in a hotel with a plastic mattress protector ?

I once stayed in a Scarborough B&B with one. Apart from the irritation of the thing rustling around under the sheet, it just made me concerned about what else their usual clientele get up to, rather than provide any reassurance.

ivavoucher

The person who soiled the mattress should have dealt with it at the time.
This would of given a chance to check the quality and condition of the damaged items.
Now the mattress has been destroyed/disposed of so you are at the hotels mercy to some degree.

I would imagine a lot of hotel mattresses are of high quality and cost many hundreds of pounds.

Personally I would ask the offender to pay the £300. 

mattyprice4004

They destroyed a mattress and duvet - of course they should pay! 
The old rule of 'you break something, you pay for it' would be well applied here, tell your mate to cough up. 

Ultimately if you made the booking it's on you, though - and they'll just pass it to solicitors if you don't pay. 
I'd dispute the loss of earnings if they can't prove the hotel was full, but as for the cost of the bedding then it's obvious this needs to be covered. 
Instead of mattress protectors, they sensibly rely on guests not sh**ing the bed and trying to pretend it didn't happen... 

ciderboy2009

afghanChris said:

I have cancelled my debit card in case they try to take money without my knowledge!

OP - do you realise that cancelling your card is unlikely to stop them from being able to take money from it?

deannagone

Or they will take the case to court, and if they win (which seems almost certain) you will be paying court costs as well.  To be honest, given the cost of mattress and bed linen (duvet/cover), it is at most half of the replacement cost.  Premier Inn mattresses aren't the thin kind you can feel springs through.

Just for information I have plastic type protectors on all my beds, they actually have a fabric flannel like top surface, no rustling whatsoever.  They do protect mattresses very well as they are waterproof.  Nothing will get through them.  All the mattresses look like new, which is why I use them.

Jenni_D

FYI there's nothing to confirm that this was a Premier Inn. Someone simply used their T&Cs earlier as an example. (It is probable that this hotel's T&Cs are similar).

We use the same type of protectors as you describe - no rustling at all.