### TUI Holidaymakers Expelled from Corfu Hotel After Complaints Over Food Quality
A British couple’s much-anticipated break in the Greek sun was cut short after a disagreement with hotel staff culminated in their expulsion from accommodation and subsequent ban from their TUI-organised flight home. Paul Bell, 64, and his wife Ellie, 65, who hail from North Shields, Tyne and Wear, faced a holiday nightmare in Sidari, Corfu, after a dispute erupted over the food served at the Terezas Hotel.
Paul and Ellie, both seasoned travellers, had booked a week’s package holiday with TUI and, by their own account, were simply seeking a quiet retreat and the chance to immerse themselves in local cuisine. It was the latter, however, that became the source of their discontent. The couple described the hotel fare as “tepid” and “not very nice”, citing examples of uninspired dishes such as rice with sprouts and slices of beetroot, leading Ellie to approach the hotel manager directly to express her dissatisfaction.
According to correspondence received by the Bells, TUI and hotel staff alleged that the couple used “aggressive and disrespectful language” in the hotel restaurant, accusations which the pair vehemently deny. Paul insists neither he nor Ellie raised their voices, and maintains the exchange consisted solely of Ellie voicing her grievances about the food. “We only spoke to the rep on the day she was at the hotel and there was nothing disrespectful shown to her,” Paul told the media, emphasising their belief that the situation had been unfairly escalated.
The narrative quickly intensified. The following day, the Bells received a formal letter stating that due to their ‘disturbing’ behaviour, their stay at the Terezas Hotel would be terminated with immediate effect. Faced with this distressing news, the couple had little choice but to arrange alternative accommodation and transportation, costing them hundreds of pounds in unplanned expenses.
Matters soon became even more complicated. On 21 May, barely two days after the initial disagreement, the couple were informed by email that Ellie was banned from their TUI flight home to Newcastle, scheduled for 23 May. A subsequent communication extended the ban to Paul, with TUI referencing their terms and conditions and attributing the decision to the couple’s “conduct and behaviour”.
Left stranded, Paul scrambled to secure seats with another airline, Jet2, shelling out €328.56 (£280) for same-day flights and a further €60 on a taxi to Corfu airport—costs wholly unanticipated when they set off on their so-called relaxing holiday. It wasn’t until after they had returned to the UK that TUI made contact once more, notifying the couple that the ban had been revoked and that they were now permitted to join their original return flight—a reversal rendered irrelevant by their already completed journey.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Paul expressed frustration not only at the hotel’s response but also at TUI’s handling of the situation. “We got no back-up whatsoever from TUI. They took whatever the manager said as gospel and came to a decision just like that. Had we been drunk and disorderly, fine, but we weren’t. We’ve never had any bother on any holidays before, until this time with TUI,” he commented, underlining the lack of communication or mediation efforts from the travel operator.
In a notably rare intervention, TUI has since agreed to reimburse the Bells for their emergency return flights and airport transfers, though a spokesperson declined to provide further comment on the matter.
This incident will strike a chord with many British holidaymakers who rely on package tour operators to smooth the path from home to holiday and back again. The unfortunate episode underlines the importance of clear communication, fair process, and the value of second opinions in resolving disputes—elements which, in this case, both parties perceived as lacking.
As international travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, the importance of robust mechanisms for conflict resolution between tour operators, hotels and their guests is ever more apparent. For Paul and Ellie Bell, however, there is one certainty: they will not be travelling with TUI again.