Inexcusable hotel negligences

There are some stories you read and can’t help but go “how the hell?!” This is one of them: how did a 4-star hotel manage to get nitric acid mixed into the orange juice of a toddler? As a result, the two-year old suffered burns in her mouth, throat and upper respiratory organs, all of which may have long-term damage.

Apparently, a clear solution of dish-washing detergent strong in nitric acid was mistaken as water by the hotel barman, who was asked for diluted orange juice. Even though this was an unintentional mistake, it was fatal and inexcusable.

I Googled for other incidents of inexcusable hotel negligence, and what I found mainly talked about filthy room conditions, bad quality of food that resulted in food poisoning, swimming pools causing ear infections, and lack of security facilities resulting in theft. I was relieved I didn’t find a list of life-threatening mishaps.

The worst I’ve had at a hotel was at dinner when one of the chicken cutlets I ordered had a stapler embedded in it. I could have choked on it and died! OK, OK not meaning to be dramatic, but stories like this can completely kill the pleasure of travel. What’s worse is that there is absolutely nothing you can do to avoid them.

Although no amount of complaint can reverse the physical harm done to the two year old (they expect her parents to sue the hotel), here are some ways you can approach the hotel management to at least get the best form of compensation from them in case of more general cases of negligence.