Family fled Hordle Premier Inn after finding 'bed bugs' in their room

A FAMILY with a four-month-old baby had to fight for a refund after fleeing Hordle’s Premier Inn hotel in the middle of the night having woken up to find “bed bugs” all over them.

Harry Phillips, wife Steph and their daughter Ada quit their £150 room at 1am after the “horrifying” experience.

When they tried to get their money back, however, they say the company refused, claiming there was no evidence – despite supplying photos of the creatures.

It was only when the A&T asked Premier Inn for a explanation that it agreed to a refund as a “goodwill gesture”.

A Premier Inn spokesperson said: “Investigations by a third party contractor have not revealed any evidence of bed bugs in this room but nonetheless we’re refunding the guest as a goodwill gesture.”

The Phillips had travelled to Hordle from their home in Essex on 11th March to attend the christening of a friend’s baby.

But their trip was ruined, they said, when they woke in the early hours of the next day to find insects on them.

Mr Phillips told the A&T: “Premier Inn boast that they have a ‘good night’ sleep guarantee but we certainly didn’t get that.

“In the middle of the night we both had this sensation that something was on us which woke us up.

“We switched on the light and found reddish-brown bugs crawling on the sheets. My wife managed to kill one while the others scuttled off.

“It was absolutely horrifying. I suspected immediately they were bed bugs and went down to reception to report what had happened.”

The receptionist was “very apologetic” and immediately started looking for another hotel for the family.

Mr Phillips went on: “She phoned the manager and we were then told that ‘as it was a case of bed bugs’ we had to transfer to the Christchurch Premier Inn for the night as Hordle was full.

“We had to pack up all our stuff at 1am in the morning then get into our car in the dark and rain.

“It was very upsetting and stressful. All in all, we hardly got any sleep at all.”

When the family got home they put all their clothing from the trip in a hot wash to kill any bugs that might have got into their cases.

Mr Phillips emailed a complaint to Premier Inn’s head office along with photos and video – and was shocked when the hotel chain refused a refund.

He said: “They told me that there was no evidence of bed bugs in the room. They claimed what we had seen must have been insects that had come in through the window. But we never had the window open at all.

“They said there was no ‘infestation’ – which may have been true, but there were certainly bed bugs in our room and in our bed.

“How can they have a ‘good night’ guarantee, then refuse to honour it in our case?”

Premier Inn’s website promises: “We’re so confident you’ll have a great night’s sleep that, if you don’t, we’ll give you your money back.

“This is our Good Night Guarantee.”

This story was amended on Monday 27th March 2023 to correct the location of the Premier Inn to Hordle.