A Poor Choice Of Words

How would you describe a filthy,stinking hovel? Would you just use those very words and be done, or should you find a better way to show that your hotel room was not suited for human occupation? A contest? Not quite. A couple who stayed one night in a hotel in Blackpool, England, were charged £100 in addition to the fee for the room after they left a negative review on TripAdvisor.

A picture is worth 1000 words but a poor choice of words will cost you 100

The Broadway Hotel in Blackpool has not been burning up the Internet with positive reviews, judging by the ratings at the website. The table is heavily skewed towards "Terrible", in fact, which makes the fine for a negative rating sound like a way to extort money from the unwary tourist who doesn't bother checking the available information. With 147 bad marks, that's a lot of money coming the hotel's way.

"This place is filthy,it really needs closing down,bedroom full of mould no heater,no hot water,beds need throwing away,couldn't bear to eat breakfast staff drinking cans of strongbow while serving breakfast,could not wait to get out of this place and get home to bath. environmental need to get in there quick..." So said Jeannette M of Derby rather recently. Did she get nicked for the hundred, and did she pay, or did she even notice that her credit card was charged after she'd paid her bill?

Maybe the hotel is still trying to figure out which guest she was so they can go after her for being so mean. It hurts business, reviews like that. Too many people have smartphones and they use them to read things like this. A place could be put out of business if this keeps up.

If The Broadway Hotel figure out who posted this snap they'll be made to pay

Dolores C of York was at a loss for words, according to the headline of her review. Perhaps that loss saved her the expense that words might have cost, although she did say " I would rather stay in Bates Motel than this joint. terrible, terrible, terrible" and "Think it is worthy of a visit from the Hotel Inspector." Did that get her fined for half the amount for having but few words of complaint?

Tony and Jan Jenkinson noticed the fine on their credit card statement after they posted a bad review, but they did not pay quietly. Instead, they complained, only to be told that hotel policy dictates the fine for every bad review. So no refund. The idea was so preposterous that they took their case to the Cumbria County Council, citing an apparent violation of fair trade standards.

The hotel manager is not making any comment on the outrage that has reached some higher office within the UK. He is at a loss for words as well, it seems.

And now that the story has hit the newspapers, he may be at a loss for a job. And don't be surprised if a hotel inspector shows up at the door, making for a loss of a hotel that needs a bit of work. Or a lot of work. Depending on how much they might try to fine me for bringing it up.