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?

DS & I both got norovirus last Christmas.

I can't be certain, but I suspect it was from the oysters we ate - which were impeccably sourced, and we were the only people (out of 8) to get it.

I have eaten a lot of oysters in my life, but will never eat another raw one in my life again, sadly. Because it's not an experience I ever wish to repeat.

I don't think you can blame the hotel OP. Hope your DW feels better soon. The only good thing you can say about noro is that it's usually over quickly.

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 isn't it. It's not that 40% of people who eat oysters get food poisoning.

And it's still not the hotel's fault that live oysters carry a risk.

And it sounds as though it might have been picked up before the hotel stay anyway.

And it might be a bug.

I've never seen a disclaimer on a menu about oysters or shellfish

Here's Sheeky's menu - nothing on there. Really popular seafood place in London.

I've scoured their website and haven't seen a disclaimer

The other thing is that noro is so infectious, that if person A gets it from an oyster, they can then pass it onto person B even if person B did not have any oysters.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/29/norovirus-british-oysters

OP I've only ever seen oysters on a menu with an accompanying warning about risk of illness.

Admittedly I don't go to many places that would have oysters on a menu and I don't go anywhere very expensive. but I think it's so well known that I'm not sure you'd get anywhere with complaining.

I don't even eat them and it's something I know about so it must be quite well known?

looking at pps - OMD I didn't know anyone ate raw oysters!!

Sheekey might have a disclaimer in the restaurant but I would have thought people going there would know anyway?

I’m not sure why you would expect a refund on the room rather than the meal...

I can't mix any seafood with wine, especially white wine. Oysters are supposed to be notorious for bugs etc (but arn't they also supposed to an aphrodisiac? ..... ) .... Sorry your wife is ill OP. Not great but not a lot you can do about it I guess.

This is why i dont eat oysters - oh and hepatitis A and they taste fucking rank.

I was in a posh restaurant in London having fish and chips! There was a notice on tgeir menu not to have spirits with seafood/oysters. Most expensive fish and chips I've ever eaten

Oysters are quite a common "party" food in some places, and I 've never heard about people being sick in mass, so the level of risk sounds a bit high.

I know you should check that they are still alive when you eat them, but that's pretty much it. They must be sourced properly as they act as a filter tool, so they could be unsafe if coming from the wrong place.

Refund on a night's stay because your wife is ill which may, or may not, have come through eating oysters.

Yeah right.

It was the oysters,for sure. Almost this exact thing happened to my exh and I a few years ago at a fairly swanky fish restaurant. He ate them, got ill, I didn’t eat them and caught it off him anyway. It was most unpleasant.

It didn’t, however, even occur to us to kick up a fuss with the restaurant. It wasn’t their fault. I do think you’re being a bit precious there, to be honest.

Feel better soon.

Makes me wonder why anyone would actually eat them if the risk of food poisoning is so high! I've never eaten an oyster in my life,and have no intention of as the thought of it makes me shudder. Someone described it to me as 'eating a fried egg tasting of rust,out of a soap dish'.

The risk of contracting the illness, even from an oyster contaminated with norovirus, is low. But not zero.

To correct my earlier comment, it won't be norovirus, as that takes time to occur and is easliy passed on. What your DW will have is a bacterial infection, which tends to only affect the victim.That's what unclean seafood has (not just oysters) and it hits you fast. Usually the same night.

I honestly don't understand how you can categorically be so sure the cause was hotel.food.
Vomiting bugs are rife just now. She could have picked it up anywhere.

Aren't oysters supposed to be an aphrodisiac poor op couldn't be further from that right now

The cause was certainly SOMETHING that she ate last night

Sorry but that is a false statement. You have no idea when she picked up the infection.

I know lots of people who pick up very nasty bugs after being on planes - that might be a more likely 'culprit' for the illness, OP?

I can't bear oysters myself but I've been out with friends when I'm as certain as can be that it was the oysters because they both came down with the exact same thing at the exact same time after eating, and I didn't.

We complained to the restaurant and they spent ages and probably some money getting a full and lengthy expert report into the oysters. Of course the conclusion was there was no way to prove it. This was a v expensive French restaurant in Mayfair. They didn't offer so much as an apology, let alone a bottle of wine or a penny off the next visit (of course there has been no next visit!).

I think it's partly because that's the risk you take with oysters and it's partly because so many people do try it on these days. Even though you and my friends were/are totally genuine, they prefer to take a stand rather than give away discounts or freebies for every complaint.

Also, isn't the reason that oysters carry noro because they eat sewage? (I may have this grossly wrong!!!)

If it's true, WHY does anyone like them??

Whilst it is possible that the oysters are the culprit, bacterial gastroenteritis can be from anything you ate in the last 3 days so unless you have been at the hotel and eating nothing but food prepared by hotel staff since Monday night, you can't prove anything. You also can't prove that it's from food rather than from being sneezed on by another person suffering from a gastric bug.

Rebecca "Also, isn't the reason that oysters carry noro because they eat sewage? "

yes, that's my understanding as well.