The standard of food at Tasmanian quarantine hotels has been criticised by travellers
Inside Tasmania’s $2800 hotel quarantine the food being dished up to guests ranges from lukewarm and ‘inedible’ to faultless, with accompanying birthday presents. WARNING: Not for weak stomachs >>
Tasmania
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COMPLAINTS about the standard of food at Tasmanian quarantine hotels have flooded in after images surfaced of meals served to a guest described by some as “inedible”.
The Mercury was contacted by numerous travellers who criticised the fare given to them during their mandatory 14-day stays inside hotel rooms.
One was Merrill Ayers, who stayed at the Ibis hotel in Hobart after visiting her grandchildren in Brisbane, parts of which were declared a virus hotspot during her trip.
Mrs Ayers, of Lenah Valley, enjoyed the sunshine on Thursday after being released from her two-week quarantine that morning.
She rated the quality of the food she was served during her stay as being four out of 10.
“Everything there was lukewarm. You were lucky if you got a hot meal at all,’’ Mrs Ayers said.
“I quite enjoyed the bangers and mash, it was better than the alternatives, but the next night they gave me chicken nuggets and chips. That would be something I would serve to my four-year-old grandchild.”
Mrs Ayers said her children felt guilty about her being stuck in a hotel and ordered her Uber Eats meals for three nights towards the end of her quarantine.
“When you are locked up like that, your mindset is in another place and everything seems bigger than Ben Hur,’’ she said.
After regaining her freedom, Mrs Ayers said she received good news that she would not have to pay the $2800 fee for her stay.
A state government spokesman said the Department of Communities — who oversee the hotel quarantine program — had arrangements which provided for “quality food at industry standard”.
“Our advice from the hotel in question is that the images depicted in the media are not an accurate reflection of how the meals were served and some were in fact meals not served by the hotel,’’ he said.
“We encourage anyone in Hobart’s quarantine hotels with concerns around their food, or any other matter, to immediately contact the government liaison officers at each hotel so they can be looked into appropriately.”
A traveller who stayed at the Ibis last month, Jayson Cook, said he was happy with the standard of the food and was satisfied with what he was served.
“I could not fault the Ibis and could not fault the food,’’ he said.
“The staff were awesome and we were always getting phone calls on the hotel phone or on our mobile checking on us and seeing how we were going.”
The man said he also received a gift because his birthday fell during his quarantine period.
Another returned traveller, university student Mitchell Rickard, stayed at a hotel in Tasmania’s North West and said the food was “very average”.
“The only thing you really get to look forward to while in quarantine is the food, and it was just appalling,’’ the 20-year-old said.
“I got a roast chicken that was just a carcass, we got raw pork one night and a salad we received was rotten.
“We had a couple of good meals but only two or three out of the two weeks.”
Another traveller who quarantined at a hotel in Launceston in July — and who did not want to be identified — said she was served lasagne which had raw sheets of pasta, and chicken that appeared to be not cooked properly.
She said she ended up buying most of her meals from Uber Eats, which cost her about $50 per day.
The state government, which was sent images of some of the food served to those in quarantine, have defended the quality of the food.
Accor, the parent company of the Ibis chain of hotels, have declined repeated requests for comment.
Originally published as The standard of food at Tasmanian quarantine hotels has been criticised by travellers