Footballer Defoe’s cousin blasts TripAdvisor for ‘death trap’ hotel review
A relative of England footballer Jermain Defoe has blasted TripAdvisor for continuing to feature the Caribbean hotel where their cousin died last week after apparently sustaining an electric shock in the swimming pool.
Locally-run Juliette’s Lodge is ranked third out of six hotels in the town of Vieux Fort in St Lucia by TripAdvisor.
In her own review of the family-owned budget hotel on TripAdvisor, a woman identified as Daphne J wrote: "I can’t believe this hotel is still up for review while this has just happened.
"What if someone was to book this hotel today and get there in the middle of the police investigation which is going on now. On top that the hotel staff showed no respect to the bereaved family."
In fact, the hotel has been closed since the tragedy last Wednesday, pending a police investigation.
TripAdvisor said it was not policy to remove a hotel listing unless it was permanently closed.
A spokeswoman added: "TripAdvisor was founded on the principle of being a platform for people to freely share their experiences, both positive and negative, but always reflecting the individual experiences of the traveller.
"Users of the site can filter reviews by date, and look at the member profiles of those writing the reviews before making an educated decision as to whether the property is right for them.
"It is also important to remember that TripAdvisor is not a transactional site; users must contact the property directly or use a booking partner to make a booking."
Hannah Defoe is believed to have died from an electric shock when she went swimming in the outdoor pool at Juliette’s Lodge last Wednesday evening, shortly before 19:00 hrs.
Officers from the Vieux Fort police station are believed to be investigating the possibility that a loose electrical wire had fallen into the pool, but a post mortem will be held at a later date to determine the cause of death.
The family-run, budget hotel is a popular stopover for holidaymakers with late arrivals or early departures from the island.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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