AN OXFORD man who had to self-isolate in a Covid quarantine hotel after returning from a trip abroad has said he has had an ‘unpleasant experience’ during his stay.

The man from Marston, who wishes to remain anonymous, returned from Pakistan with his sister, brother, and eleven-month-old niece after attending a family funeral.

Pakistan is on the coronavirus ‘red list’, meaning those travelling from the country have to quarantine in a Government approved hotel for 10 days.

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The cost for the family staying in the Hilton at Heathrow Terminal 5 was over £4,000, however, the traveller said there had been several ‘issues’.

The family’s quarantine troubles began when the coach from the airport terminal to the hotel, a three-and-a-half-mile journey, took three hours because of a 'communication' error – but the bus was not provided by the Hilton.

The Marston resident said: “When we finally arrived in our room, we were left with no way to contact anyone as the rooms provided had both phones disconnected.

“This meant that we couldn’t contact anyone for food, water, or for medical help.”

The man left his room, saying he needed to have a cigarette to calm his anxiety and speak to reception about the phone problem.

The family were soon moved into new rooms, but only after going to the toilet, realised there was no water to flush away waste. The hotel sent a technician to fix the issues after ‘several hours’.

The Marston resident also claimed there had been ‘hygiene issues’ saying ‘bin bags containing things such as sanitary towels and babies' nappies’ have been left outside the rooms ‘for extremely long periods’, in some cases overnight.

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A spokesperson for the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 said that hotel cleanliness was a priority and both floor and corridor inspections were conducted regularly to ensure all rubbish placed outside the room is collected and disposed of.

The spokesperson added: “The safety of our guests and colleagues are our highest priority, and we continue to follow Government guidance on the measures needed to safely accommodate quarantine travellers arriving at London Heathrow Airport. Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable experience for travellers and will continue to listen and acknowledge guest feedback.

“Concerns raised by the guest have been addressed."

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Our top priority is protecting the public and the robust border regime we have in place is minimising the number of new variants being imported into the UK, while our scientists and genomics experts do what they can to understand new mutations.

“Hotels providing managed quarantine facilities are able to accommodate the vast majority of people’s requirements and are obligated to provide guests with three meals a day, access to WIFI, welfare and health support.”