‘How can the government sleep at night?’ Travellers tell of ‘prison like’ conditions at £1,750 quarantine hotel as they share images of ‘inedible’ food served in polystyrene boxes

• Quarantining travellers say food on offer at President Hotel, London is ‘inedible’ 
• Complaints made after ‘small’, ‘bad quality’ meals arrived in polystyrene boxes
• Several have also said conditions during their ‘nightmare’ stay was ‘prison like’  
• Those in 10-day quarantine at the hotel have forked out £1,750 for their stay 
• Have you been affected? Please forward your experiences and pictures on to [email protected]

Travellers have shared images of the ‘inedible’ food being served at a £1,750 quarantine hotel in central London and tell how they are being held in ‘prison-like’ conditions and deprived of exercise. 

Have you had a bad experience in a quarantine hotel?

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President Hotel, in Guilford Road, London, is described on its own website as the ‘perfect base’ that allows guests to enjoy ‘all that London has to offer’.

But for some travellers who are spending their 10-day quarantine period there, it has been a ‘nightmare’ as they complain of the ‘prison-like’ conditions that are being enforced.

Several say they have had enough after forking out £1,750 for the privilege of living in isolation.  

And they have also shared images of the measly portions on offer that arrive in polystyrene boxes three times per day.

Garikayi Madzudzo made an official complain regarding the quality of food to Imperial London Hotels, the company behind the three star President Hotel.

He says he has been forced to order food and drink from other outlets as what was offered to him did not meet ‘acceptable food standards’. 

His complaint reads: ‘As you can see from the pictures of the meals provided, the portions and the quality of food is way, way below standard. 

‘It neither provides the required nutrition nor is it balanced to promote healthy living, bearing in mind this is being served to an adult who is being deprived of regular exercise because the hotel is full and available security staff are struggling to cope with the demand to take people outside for their 15mins of exercise.

Those quarantining in President Hotel, London have shared their concerns over the ‘prison-like’ conditions and ‘inedible’ food on offer

‘The standards that this facility is operating on are unacceptable and do not equate to the £1750 that l was charged.

‘This hotel has failed in meeting acceptable food standards.’

Garikayi, along with several other travellers, shared pictures of the food they were provided by the hotel – including a small muffin, baked beans, lunchbox-sized carton of apple juice and a single hash brown for breakfast. 

Lunch was a pie with a small serving of beef gravy and potato, while dinner had two sausages, some mashed potato and peas. 

Adding insult to injury, the travellers say they are also only allowed out of their rooms for 15-minute exercise slots in the barricaded hotel garden each day. 

Luciana Andrade and her husband Brian Muscat have made numerous complaints to the Department of Health and Social Care and Brian experienced ‘prison solitary confinement conditions’ during his 10-day stop at President Hotel.

Several travellers who are quarantining have slammed the ‘small and ‘bad quality’ meals (pictured) on offer at the hotel

Those staying at President Hotel in London have paid £1,750 for their 10-day quarantine period

She says meals Brian was served were ‘small, bad quality, not fresh’. 

‘A typical meal is a bit of chicken with 2 baby potatoes in a styrofoam box. 

‘How can anyone in the British government sleep at night, when in our own soil we are subjecting law-abiding, negative COVID tested citizens to prison solitary confinement conditions?’ 

Imperial London Hotels has been contacted to provide comment.  

Border controls mean any arrivals from ‘red list’ countries, including India, Brazil and South Africa, must quarantine for 10 days inside a designated hotel.

Simon Baird, a Nottinghamshire businessman, told of the ‘nightmare conditions’ he endured while quarantining at President Hotel, London

Those arriving in the country must take two Covid-19 tests during the duration of their stay in England.

The quarantine hotel package costs each person £1,750, and up to £1,200 more if they test positive on days two or eight. 

Simon Baird, a businessman from Nottingham, said he believed the food was probably better in a prison as he refused to eat the ‘cold meals’.

He stayed for 11 nights after arriving from the United Arab Emirates on June 19, and said he thought he could cope after checking out their website.

But his stay quickly descended into a ‘nightmare’. 

Simon told NottinghamshireLive that he had been spending a further £15 to £20 on takeaways and Tesco and Sainsbury’s deliveries due to poor quality of meals.  

Luciana Andrade described the meals her husband, Brian was served as ‘small, bad quality, not fresh’

Simon Baird slammed the breakfast he was served while staying at President Hotel during his 11-night quarantine

Breakfast includes a small muffin, baked beans and egg, a lunchbox-sized carton of apple juice and a single hash brown

A spokeswoman for the Department for Health and Social Care added: ‘Our top priority has always been protecting the public and the robust border and testing regime we have in place is helping minimise the risk of new variants coming into the UK.

‘The government continues to ensure every person in quarantine gets the support they need and all managed quarantine facilities are accommodating the vast majority of people’s requirements.

‘Hotels do their utmost to take any necessary steps to address concerns raised by guests.’

Earlier this week photographs of the food at Leonardo Hotel, Heathrow showed a sandwich containing just a single sausage and soggy rice.

Another snap showed noodles swimming in oil and a small plate of fish and chips turned brown by excessive frying.

Breakfast on another day was two rashers of bacon in a roll, and not a single meal contained vegetables or fruit. 

The mother, who did not wish to be named, said of the food: ‘It’s disgusting and it’s wrong.

‘The food here is inedible. We are having to live off food deliveries.

‘I’d describe the food as inedible, substandard, swimming in grease, and like gruel.’  

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