'We spent the whole holiday crying': Oldham mum slams LastMinute.com after Turkey trip turns into nightmare
Gemma Banks paid £1,562 for an all-inclusive break but described mould, missing tiles, cats in the kitchen and food that made her family ill. LastMinute.com closed her case while she was still at the hotel.
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An Oldham mum has slammed LastMinute.com for featuring a hotel she says was "more like a hostel" and for closing her complaint while her family were still there.
Gemma Banks, 39, paid £1,562 for an all-inclusive two-week break at the Grand Bahama Beach Hotel in Konakli, Turkey, starting on July 11. The hotel was listed as three stars on the website.
"It was advertised as being three stars but it was more like a hostel," she said. "It was full of mould around the pool, there were gaps in the tiles everywhere. It was so unsafe. There were flies around the food area, the drinks were warm and there were cats in the kitchen. It made us all poorly."
She said the food issues meant her family had to eat elsewhere at extra expense, and the hotel "repeatedly" ran out of soft drinks and alcohol.
What did she tell LastMinute.com?
In an email on July 15, three days after first raising her complaint, Gemma wrote: "We have 10 nights left and have very little money left and worried how we will eat and drink for the remainder of the holiday. We are having the worst holiday ever and this can't continue. My children are crying daily, we are all tired, hungry and very upset."
What did LastMinute.com do?
The company closed the case on July 19, telling Gemma: "Any issue relating to hygiene, the condition of the buffet, the quality of the food or the health of guests is the sole, direct and exclusive responsibility of the accommodation provider."
The email added: "Having clarified this point, we are now closing this case in our system. We wish the whole family a speedy recovery."
Gemma told the MEN: "LastMinute just told us to talk to the hotel staff, I didn't get any help from them. They then said that they were closing the case. They left us in a dire state. We spent the whole holiday crying, it was horrific. There has been no explanation and no apology."
She added: "We feel completely abandoned by the company and believe consumers should be aware of how this situation has been handled."
Was the hotel correctly advertised?
The active listing has since been removed from LastMinute.com's website. An archived version from August 2025 listed it as "good" with three stars and a 7.6 rating. It currently has 1.9 stars out of five on TripAdvisor and 3.4 on Google Reviews.
Gemma also said the hotel was advertised as having a sandy beach but "you had to cross a main road to get to it and it was a rock beach."
What has LastMinute.com said?
A spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear about the customer's experience. We have been in contact with the customer and have escalated the matter with the accommodation provider. Our review is still ongoing."
The Grand Bahama Beach Hotel has not responded to requests for comment.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which hotel did the Oldham family stay at?
- The family booked a two-week all-inclusive stay at the Grand Bahama Beach Hotel in Konakli, Alanya, Turkey.
- What were the family's complaints about the resort?
- Gemma Banks alleged that the hotel had poor hygiene, including mould, broken tiles, and cats in the kitchen, which she claims led to her family getting food poisoning.
- How did LastMinute.com respond to the complaint?
- The booking company initially closed the case, stating the hotel was responsible for guest health. They have since reopened the review and escalated the matter with the accommodation provider.