On 23 February, Victoria Hopen went on winter holiday to Gran Canaria with her boyfriend. They were late in ordering. Therefore, the choice fell on the only TUI hotel that was available: RIU Vistamar.
– I have been to Gran Canaria several times, but now we wanted a slightly higher standard with all-inclusive, she says.
But already on day two, the holiday idyll broke.
– The girlfriend became really ill after a lunch at the hotel. I wasn’t hit that hard until a little later when we ate at another restaurant in the hotel.
– It came from all directions
Hopen says she got acute food poisoning at the end of the dinner. She suspects that she became ill from spinach au gratin that had been left out for too long.
– Vomiting and fever. It came every which way. I threw up all night.
Hopen then contacted TUI and the insurance company. At the insurance company, she was transferred to a local employee. Where she was met by the answering machine, she says.
– Then we started reading on Tripadvisor. There were many reviews where people wrote that they had become bad, also from several years ago.
Pigeons walked on the tables
In the outdoor dining area at the hotel’s breakfast and lunch area, there were many pigeons walking on the tables, according to Hopen.
– They strutted over cups, cutlery and food when the chance presented itself. In terms of hygiene, this is not good at all. We found ourselves obliged to spritz all of the cutlery.
A LAST SUNSET: Victoria Hopen did not have time to take many holiday photos, as large parts of the holiday were spent in the hotel room. Photo: Victoria Hopen
Heard other guests vomiting
When they left the hotel, they heard others who had also become ill, according to her.
– It is very noisy in the hotel rooms, and from the first evening we have heard people running to the bathroom with diarrhea and vomiting throughout the night.
She adds:
– What I think is the worst is that it has apparently lasted so long. Many of the guests are also elderly people. I wish they could sort this out so people don’t have their holidays ruined.
Now she will be extra careful to check on Tripadvisor before her next trip.
– In any case, we will never go to that hotel again. We were very happy to come home again, says Hopen.
Back home in Norway, Hopen and her boyfriend have taken a trip to the doctor. They have not yet fully recovered.
According to Hopen, they will both now be tested for salmonella, following the doctor’s recommendation.
Denies food poisoning
TV 2 has been in contact with RIU Vistamar. The hotel denies the allegations of food poisoning.
– We follow a strict hygiene protocol throughout the year, and in addition have a hygiene manager who monitors the good work that the employees in the kitchen do, the hotel writes in an email to TV 2.
They say that they have had very few guests who have had diarrhea and vomiting in February, and that the vast majority of those who have been ill have come from Northern Europe.
The hotel believes that the guests must have become ill from something other than bad food.
– According to the laboratory responsible for testing the food in the hotel kitchen, everything is in perfect condition. Therefore, we can confirm that the food is okay and that the few cases of illness come from a non-food-related source.
– Take it seriously
Communications Manager at TUI Norway, Anne Mørk-Løwengreen, cannot comment on individual cases, but says that it is difficult to know whether it is caused by a virus or a bacterium when it comes to stomach ailments.
“Unfortunately, there are quite a few outbreaks of norovirus in the winter, and if that were to happen, the hotels have clear routines to follow up cases of this seasonal disease,” says Mørk-Løwengreen.
SERIOUSLY: Communications manager at TUI Norge, Anne Mørk-Løwengreen, cannot comment on Victoria Hopen’s experience, but says that they take all feedback seriously. Photo: TUI
She says they take frequent random samples at the hotels to ensure that all food is handled according to the rules. They also receive reports when guests have fallen ill.
– The report from last week shows that there are very few guests who have reported illness, she says.
Although she cannot comment on individual cases, she says that they take all feedback from customers seriously and follow up.
– The guests’ safety and health is always our highest priority.