To expect goodwill gesture from hotel after food poisoning on honeymoon?

[1Wanda1]

DW and I are currently on honeymoon. We chose to book a few days at a hotel at which the restaurant is highly regarded for its fish and seafood cooking. We both work hard and it’s rare for us to have time alone together to relax properly so we were really looking forward to our honeymoon.

Last night DW had oysters at dinner, in the hotel restaurant. She was then violently ill all night and we have been unable to leave the hotel room today as she’s still so ill. I reported the matter to the general manager this morning and spoke to her about it. She was sympathetic but offered no reparation for what has happened, saying simply that “everyone knows that eating fresh oysters is a risk. 40% of all oysters carry norovirus no matter where they come from and ours were fresh.” I did not know that oysters carry norovirus and the menu carried no warning that you have a 40% chance of consuming norovirus if you eat them. GM suggested that if we wanted to leave early, the hotel would not charge us for the unused nights, though recognised not practical to travel in DW’s current state.

DW and have lost a day (hopefully it will be only a day and not more) of our short honeymoon, which we can never get back. The hotel is expensive. AIBU to expect some sort of goodwill gesture for this?

They did offer a gesture, letting you off the rest of the stay without paying for it or penalty.

YANBU

Even if you go on a honeymoon destination (Maui anyone ) hotels tend to do little gestures. You leave happy, it's great publicity and it's likely you will come back again and again, as many people celebrate at least one or 2 anniversaries in their honeymoon hotel.

I had the flu in a hotel once, and whilst they didn't do a goodwill gesture as such (I didn't expect one!) they were ever so helpful, bringing me room service and trying to help.

It's not really about compensation as such - which doesn't seem to be applicable here - but good customer service towards the guests.

As people have said Oysters carry high risk of nourovirus. The hotel has offered to cut your stay. Anything further would be admitting liability. Regardless of whether it is highly likely that the oysters have given your wife nouro it could be food poisoning from the dinner you had 2 nights before.

I must have eaten thousands of oysters over the last 3 decades. Never ever got sick, I think because I am very careful where I source them from. Any place who tells you that you have a 40% chance of getting sick from their oysters is not sourcing quality ones, as that is just not remotely true when you get good ones.
Fuck knows where they are buying them from if they have that many poisonous ones. I wouldn't eat anything in that restaurant.

I'm genuinely surprised the op and his wife didn't know. It's one of the most commonly known facts

I'm surprised you assume OP is a man. Pretty sure you're wrong on that one.
Like you are about oysters.

Any place who tells you that you have a 40% chance of getting sick from their oysters is not sourcing quality ones Except that isn't what was said... and it is true that 40% of UK oysters carry Noro... not every Noro carrying oyster will cause illness, far from it!

Maybe she's allergic to them? Has she had problems with them before?

Probably wouldn't eat them on honeymoon abroad though - just to be on the safe side .

I can understand them been defensive. If they apologise and give a goodwill gesture, they could end up with a £20k claim in a few weeks. It is far from established they were negligent so they won't want to harm their defense in a future case by agreeing anything now.

I had absolutely no idea fresh oysters carried germs and to such a high probability of getting poorly.
I remember on a school trip we were all encouraged to eat fresh oysters in a school photo. Tasted like thick salty snot - how come they're considered an aphrodisiac??

Except that isn't what was said... and it is true that 40% of UK oysters carry Noro... not every Noro carrying oyster will cause illness, far from it!

Yes, but not the high quality ones, is the point! A good supplier has only a tiny chance of selling an oyster with noro in it, a bad supplier has a much higher one.

it's very simple.

Sorry your DW is ill. I do think a goodwill gesture of some sort, even token, would help to salvage some of your honeymoon memories for you. They aren't obliged, but it means you would maybe consider returning in the future. No gesture means it's highly unlikely you'll think of them with any fondness nor recommend them.

What I said was that I think they should offer to refund ONE NIGHT, i.e. last night. I don't understand why some posters are asking why I think I should have our entire stay refunded. That is not what I said.

I have no idea whether the 40% figure (which was the figure the GM gave, not mine) is accurate but I did not know that oysters carry norovirus. I believed that by ordering oysters and other seafood only in places well-known for good quality, you could be fully confident you would not end up sick.

DW also ate other seafood at the meal, which could have been the cause. The cause was certainly SOMETHING that she ate last night. That was served to her in a hotel which trades on its reputation as a high quality establishment. Personally I think that customer service entails offering some show of contrition in these circumstances. Obviously IABU.

Feeling fairly queasy myself now so may not be back. Great honeymoon.

No, the probability would stay at 40% no matter how many oysters you ate. Eating a second oyster doesn't increase it's chance of poisoning you.

No. The chance that THAT oyster will carry the virus (or any individual oyster) remains 40%. But of course if you eat 10, your chances that one of the ten oysters will carry the virus is more than 40%.

Think of flipping a coin. One flip, I have a 50% chance of heads. 100 flips, vastly more chance that ONE of the flips will be heads. In fact, around 50 flips will be heads. But each individual flip will be 50% chance.

it's very simple. Yes... the stats on the % of UK oysters that carry the norovirus is simple, almost 3/4 of them. Not all of them cause illness.

You can believe the researchers that carried out the research, for the Food Standards Agency, or the 'high end seller' who tells you a load of bollocks.

Even a BIG player in the oyster industry acknowledges and explains that fact www.cornishshellfish.co.uk/oysters/food-safety-and-oysters/

But you are still free not to believe it

Given that you too are feeling sick perhaps you need to consider that your wife has just picked a bug up and you have now caught it off her

The seafood is a proverbial red herring, it’s unfortunate but noro itself is quite prevalent on its own at this time of the year

The cause was certainly SOMETHING that she ate last night

Not certainly, you should get a stool sample.

The cause was certainly SOMETHING that she ate last night

It really, really might not have been. If the hotel is known for it's fish and seafood, they're probably getting it right.

Food poisoning does NOT just appear immediately, in many cases. How do you it definitely was caused by something she ate last night?

What I said was that I think they should offer to refund ONE NIGHT

But why? What do they have to be 'contrite' about?

Jesus, food poisoning can take days to show. As I said before you cannot guarantee that the shellfish made your wife ill. The hotel will not admit liability without concrete proof. You stayed in the room and have become ill - not necessarily from food eaten at the hotel. Why would the hotel refund you that night. They are a business, not a charity. You can contact the EHO and a doctor to get a stool sample to help find out the exact virus and thus incubation time.

People like you are the reason I left the hotel trade. Wanting to put blame where there isn't any and pushing for money off when you don't deserve it.

You don't know if it was almost certainly something she ate, especially given that you are now sick. They offered to cancel your booking without charge, that's a good gesture.

It says on nhs that symptoms appear 1-2 days after infection with noro so maybe it’s something else or you were infected before you arrived. But just beacuase a restaurant is fancy doesn’t necessarily mean they will be immune from serving bad food or follow best hygiene practise I’m afraid. I’ve seen worse practice working for high end places. Either way it’s a really shame for the OP and their wife. I do feel really sorry for you as there’s nothing worse than d&v. Hope it’s short lived.

I think you should contact environmental health while you're still at the hotel and provide a stool sample

If it is the seafood then I'm incredibly sorry for you both as you're missing your honeymoon, not just the city you're staying but all the honeymoon stuff too - I think that's really shit (pardon the pun )

If it's proven to be the seafood I would expect to claim for a full refund on my travel insurance.

You're in the UK and I'm guessing you're paying 300 quid plus a night for this crap

I like PP suggestion.
Maybe speak to GM again and ask if they will compensate for ruining your honeymoon.
If it's a no then call environmental health.
There is no way a high end hotel, that serves oysters, is expecting 40% of the guests that eat oysters to get food poisening.
That's just madness and I think EH would be interested to hear what the GM had to say about that.

All the menus I have ever ordered raw oysters from say "at your own risk". It's a well known FACT that raw oysters can cause some people to become sick.

It's also Jan. Peak noro season. It may also be your DW caught noro from not washing her hands properly.

Sounds like you've come down with it too. Hope you are both feeling better soon.

That's not how it works, though!

Call EH by all means. They will take samples and get back to you. That is the obvious thing to do!

But don't assume that the hotel will act before EH report back. They don't know it was caused by an oyster, it usually takes a couple of days for food poisoning to show, norovirus is not food poisoning and, mainly, because they won't expect 40% of oyster eating guests to get food poisoning! That really isn't how it works!!!!

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh