Thomas Cook awarded Louis Hotel damages
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Thomas Cook has been awarded a damages payout by Louis Hotels after two children died of carbon monoxide poisoning in one of its hotels in 2006.
Robert and Christianne Shepherd died in an apartment in Corfu back in October 2006 with Thomas Cook cleared of responsibility in 2010.
The tour operator has now successfully claimed back GBP1 million of damages and court fees after two its employees were cleared of negligent manslaughter, according to a BBC report. It has set a precedent for future cases of tour operators claiming against hotels.
The manager and two members of staff at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel in Gouvia were convicted of manslaughter and damages have been paid to the children’s parents.
Their father Neil and his partner Ruth Beatson were both left in a coma but survived after from fumes went into their room from a broken gas boiler.
Hygiene auditors Check Safety First said the case outlined the importance of tour operators holding their own checks into hotels that are in their programmes.
“Hoteliers now have to ensure that they really are safe and not just that they are “safe enough” to pass a quick inspection. Tour operators will now be looking for hoteliers to provide substantiated evidence of safety compliance. The hotelier could previously get away with having an amateur assessment or employ cheap sub-contractors to deal with safety related issues. This case demonstrates that they must now do things properly, and with real scrutiny,” said Check Safety First’s chairman Steve Tate.
“If risk is not managed properly and a problem unfolds, the danger of litigation is substantial. The potential financial damages could be considerable, yet dwarfed by the longer term and potentially more devastating costs associated with negative publicity and damage to brand,” he added.
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