A fully-booked Gibraltar hotel ruined a much-needed getaway for a British couple.
With Gibraltar on the green list, Paul Herbert and David Grieg flew out from Manchester to enjoy the sun earlier this week.
After a heart attack in March which left him with stents fitted, David desperately needed the chance to relax.
But when the couple arrived, they discovered that their room at the Eliott Hotel had been double-booked.
And dozens of other tourists were in the same position, despite having made reservations at the Gibraltar hotel.
Staff at the Eliott have asked hotels.com to stop overbooking, but David says they’ve continued.
David told the Mirror the blame lies with hotels.com, which staff at the Eliott have reportedly told to stop overbooking.
"I had a heart attack back in March and I needed a break, a bit of de-stressing.
"When I found out about the room I lost it and started crying due to all the stress I've been through."
If they couldn't stay at the Eliott then the couple were in a real predicament.
Demand for hotels and Airbnbs in Gibraltar has been sky high in recent weeks, due to its status as the primary holiday hotspot on the green list.
Before he jetted off the only rental property David could find on the island cost £6,000 for a week.
While they could have travelled into amber list Spain to find accommodation, that would have required them to self-isolate for ten days on their return.
Paul said: "I wasn't in a panic about the room, I was scared for David because he had his heart attack in March.
"I knew this would cause stress for him.
"My heart just dropped. Even though he's had his stents put in, you don't want anything else to happen."
Thankfully the staff at the Eliott - who David said were "amazing" sat the couple down, brought them a free drink and readied a room that was being refurbished.
Other couples were less lucky, according to Paul.
"I feel so sorry for the other people," he said.
"One couple turned up after us and we know they weren't going to be offered a room. The receptionist said six to eight couples were turning up to double-booked rooms a day."
The Eliott and hotels.com were contacted for comment.
