Teens’ Schoolies nightmare as bed bug-infested room leads to initial $17.50 refund
Four teenage girls who say their Schoolies experience has been “ruined” after being “eaten alive by bed bugs” and forced to sleep on hotel lobby couches were initially issued a $17.50 refund on their nearly $1500 booking.
Four teenage girls were left sleeping on their hotel lobby floor and bumming couches from fellow school leavers, after a Schoolies accommodation nightmare saw them “eaten alive by bed bugs” and initially refunded just $17.50 from Booking.com on their nearly $1500 booking.
Caitlin Smith, 18, from Beenleigh, and her friends Sophie Tessmann, 17, Mia Robinson, 17, and Bella Sceriha, 18, discovered the infestation within hours of checking into their Surfers Paradise accommodation on Saturday for their week-long stay.
“We checked into our room and about literally two hours later I was really itchy and was like, what’s going on,” Ms Smith said.
“And then Sophie started getting lumps on her leg and we looked around the room and it was just really dirty.
“We checked the beds and there was a bunch of little black things and we were like oh my God, there’s bed bugs.”
Ms Smith said there was also significant, dirt, dust, mould and a bad odour.
When the girls contacted the private owner through Booking.com, Ms Smith said he dismissed their concerns.
Ms Smith said the owner offered to send cleaners but when asked if sheets would be changed, told them “we don’t do that”.
She said when she requested a refund or alternative accommodation, “he said there was nothing he could do”.
The situation deteriorated further when the girls attempted to follow up.
“He blocked our number,” Ms Smith said.
The girls then turned to Booking.com multiple times for help, but the platform – which operates as an intermediary connecting travellers with accommodation providers – reportedly told them the dispute had to be resolved with the owner directly.
The next day, Ms Smith said she checked her account to find a $17.50 refund issued to her booking wallet.
“At that point, that’s more disrespectful than giving us nothing,” she said.
The teenagers, who said they booked back in June specifically for the cheaper rates, said finding an alternative now would cost significantly more – even if they did receive a full refund.
For the past four days, two girls have been sleeping on lobby couches while two others said they found space “in a random apartment”.
“Last night we were sitting in the lobby, two of us were balling our eyes out because we couldn’t be in there,” Ms Smith said.
“It’s so extremely itchy. My friend – her back leg is ripped apart. I’ve scratched to the point my legs are bruised.”
Ms Smith said the accommodation was through a private owner at the Mantra on View property and reception staff confirmed they couldn’t intervene in privately-booked rooms.
“It’s not the hotel’s fault,” Ms Smith said.
The girls said they felt dismissed by the private owner and Booking.com because of their age, even ringing in Ms Smith’s mother Rachel to try and intervene from her cruise holiday.
“No one is taking responsibility at all,” Mrs Smith said.
“They are getting eaten alive by bed bugs.
“I am so annoyed and helpless being away.”
For the teenagers, the ordeal has overshadowed what was meant to be a celebration of 12 years of schooling.
“That’s how we will remember our Schoolies – stuck on a hotel floor crying our eyes out.”
After the Bulletin contacted Booking.com for comment, a spokesperson said they had suspended the property from their platform and reached out to the partner to alert them to rectify the bed bug issue.
“The health and safety of our customers is a top priority for us at Booking.com, and we’re sorry to hear about the customer experience in this case, as we take such instances very seriously.
“On the rare occasion that a property does not meet a guest’s expectations, our customer service team is available 24/7 to investigate and provide further support.
“Upon investigating the case, we have suspended the property from our platform and reached out to the partner to alert them to rectify the bed bug issue.
“We can also confirm we will issue a full refund, in the form of wallet credits, to the customer as a goodwill gesture.”
