Alison Owen, 57, said she was ‘stood at the foot of the bed’ as soon as she opened the door to the ‘claustrophobic’ room – and was left in tears after trying to complain
A widow has accused Jet2 of reducing her to tears by sticking her in a ‘broom cupboard’ for a hotel room – ‘because she’s single’. Alison Owen, 57, was shocked to find that her room was ‘wrapped around the lift shaft’ when she arrived at the three-star hotel with her two sons.
Alison alleges that the room was so small it was ‘impossible’ to open her suitcase to unpack and that she could touch both sides of the wall with her fingertips from the middle of the room.
After complaining about the room at reception and requesting to be moved, she claims she was ‘left in tears’ when a Jet2 staff member told her there was nothing he could do to help – unless she paid an additional 150 euros to move rooms.
Her sons, aged 21 and 23, clubbed together to pay the charge, with one even dipping into his savings, so that she could move rooms. Alison believes she was ‘misled’ by the online listing and returned from the holiday in June feeling ‘depressed and scammed’.
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The widow shamed the room online where she said: “I am not second class because I’m single.”
Jet2 has stated that their in-resort team and the hotelier ‘did all they could to address the issues raised’ during the holiday, but acknowledged its disappointment upon hearing how upset she was and confirmed it was investigating the matter.
Alison, from Colne Bay, North Wales, recalled: “As soon as walked in I opened the door and I hit the foot of the bed.
“I immediately felt really claustrophobic and I thought I can’t possibly stay here for 10 days.
“I was cross and I was just upset because we’d travelled and we were looking forward to it [the holiday].
“The room is not fit for purpose. It was a cupboard room.
“I’ve worked in hotels and in my view it was more fit for purpose as a linen cupboard than a bedroom.
“For one night you could put up with it, but not for ten days.”
The semi-retired secretary revealed that despite paying extra to move to another room, she returned home feeling ‘depressed and scammed’.
Alison expressed: “It had an impact on the rest of the holiday.
“A Jet2 rep showed up on the second day and I was just sat there crying.
“I was upset and I felt the staff thought I was being fussy or something. I was glad to leave at the end of the trip.
“I came home feeling depressed and scammed.”
Alison also shared that the ordeal left her sons so distressed that one of them even dipped into his savings so that she could move to a different room.
Alison said: “Two days in my son confessed and said he used some of his savings to pay for the upgrade, which is the last thing I wanted them to do.
“It upset me so much that it upset them.
“Jet2 said they couldn’t do anything, the manager said they couldn’t do anything, the rep said they couldn’t do anything.
“If I’d have been on my own, and perhaps not had any other income to pay for an upgrade, that would have been terrible.”
Alison, who is widowed, claims she was made to feel like a ‘second class citizen’ because she travels alone.
Alison said: “It made me feel like a second class citizen.
“There’s a lot of single travellers out there and there’s probably a lot of people my age in the same circumstances who want to get out.
“But to be put in a room, it’s just not funny. It was fit for a five-year-old, not a grown adult.
“We did try and make the most of it after [I’d moved rooms]. I’m a widow so it’s nice that my boys want to come away with me.”
Alison claims that despite the holiday costing £690 per passenger, she anticipated Jet2 would maintain better standards.
Alison said: “I can understand, it was cheap.
“I expected it was going to be no frills but what I didn’t expect was to be stood at the foot of the bed as soon as I got through the door – I don’t think anybody if they paid over £500 would expect that.
“It wasn’t a budget, it was three stars.
“I’m upset with Jet2 for them thinking it’s acceptable – I thought they would have better standards really, I did feel misled.”
When she posted pictures of the room on social media, many were shocked at its size.
One commented: “I couldn’t have stayed in that it’s a broom cupboard.”
Another said: “It looks like a prison cell. I would be so disappointed too.”
A third chimed in: “That’s awful, people who commit a crime are given bigger rooms!”.
However, some believed that the room was worth the price that Alison paid.
One remarked: “So £69 a night with breakfast and flights, I’m sorry but what did you expect????”.
A spokesperson for Jet2 stated: “As an award-winning holiday company, we always want our customers to have the very best experience when travelling with us, so it is disappointing to hear Ms Owen was dissatisfied with her holiday.
“We can confirm that our in-resort team and the hotelier did all they could to address the issues raised while Ms Owen was on holiday.
“As we have now received correspondence from Ms Owen since returning from holiday, we are investigating her complaint fully and will respond to the customer directly once this has come to a conclusion.”
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