After paying two thousand pounds for a weekend break in Butlins Bognor Ocean Hotel we were woken at 4am on the sunday night with a fire alarm. I had to find my way out of the hotel in sheer panic with my 3 young daughters who are 4,5 and 10 years all sleepy and distressed. The stairwell was jam packed to near gridlock and so I felt I had nothing to loose trying to find another.
I had no idea where my husband and son were at this point as they were in a seperate room due to our family size. We found another empty stairwell at the other end of the corridor with a sad sight of an elderly couple carrying their disabled adult son under each arm down the stairs (we were on the 4th floor) close to the top). I felt so angered by this sight as there was noone on hand to help and advise us and I could offer no assistant as I was carrying my daughter who was not fully awake. Obviously lifts were out of action and he clearly needed a wheelchair.
After reaching the carpark at the rear hotel entrance we were greeted with crowds and confusion. There were 2 staff who seemed to be saying contrasting advice one said it was a false alarm and the other was unsure as he was reluctant to turn the lifts back on. I could not see my husband and felt confused tired and wondered why we were not guided to the fire assembly point mentioned in their room information.
After waiting nearly an hour lifts were finally resumed but my children could not go back to sleep I had found my husband and son and went up together to our rooms. My youngest 2 daughters were by now fully awake and would not go back to sleep.
I went to breakfast the next day feeling shattered. No mention explination or appology was given, it was like they completely brushed it under the carpet. Yet a member of staff at breakfast asked everyone for their attention for an announcement at this point we were all ears expecting it to be regarding last night but instead he asked us all to sing happy birthday to a resident at the hotel! Our children were shattered, other residents children were shattered and having gone through the night thinking we couldnt get out of the hotel in a gridlocked stairwell earlier with genuine threat of fire and young children I felt stressed disappointed and shattered from the experinece.
I checked into the Spa where I explained my need for a relax and was told this happened often. I found after internet search that it happens in the other hotel there too. Why has this faulty fire alarm system been sorted and why should residents put up with it making a relaxing expensive weekend break so stressful with no explination vouchers or goodwill gestures? There appears to be no customer complaints either for Butlins that I can find and I am left utterly frustrated.
If a company is as easy to get hold of to complain as it is to book a holiday then you know you can trust them for next time and they genuinely want their customers to have a good time. If they take your cash and leave you more stressed and tired than before you went then that is wrong for Butlins a well established family friendly company I would expect good service and I payed for their reputation. I am left discusted.
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