Tony and Jan Jenkinson, from Whitehaven, UK, stayed from one night at the Broadway hotel in Blackpool.
Dissatisfied with their stay, they posted a negative review on TripAdvisor, referring to the premises as a ‘rotten, stinking hovel’.
Shortly afterwards, they noticed that £100 had been debited from their credit card. When they contacted the hotel to query this surcharge, they were explained that the owners have a ‘no negative review’ policy on their Terms and Conditions, and that every such review is punished by a £100 charge.
The couple contacted Trading Standards, and the issue will now be investigated. A spokesman for the hotel said that he wasn’t aware of any such policy.