A quarantine hotel guest who was staying in a room had to wake up to chaotic scenes after being instructed not to go to their rooms by a fire alarm. Then, they were packed together with ‘zero Social Distancing’.
On Thursday morning, the Hotel Sofitel in London Gatwick photographed guests still dressed in their pyjamas as they huddled together, even though it was clear that they were to isolate themselves from other guests.
MailOnline was told by Eyewitnesses that they initially were told to remain in their rooms despite the sirens of the fire alarm blaring all around. Security then allowed them to go 15 minutes later.
As panicked hotel staff tried desperately to deal with the situation, patrons of all ages clutched their towels in an attempt to hold on. Some guests arrived from destinations on the red-list were among those mixing.
Furious travellers, many of whom have paid upwards of £3,700 to quarantine at Sofitel, slammed the lack of social distancing and said they believed Thursday morning’s chaos was a ‘superspreader event’.
MailOnline understood that the emergency services were called at some point and took control after about an hour.
Sofitel was contacted for comment.
Some guests wore their pajamas even though they were told to separate from other guests at London Gatwick’s four-star Hotel Sofitel.
Some red-list travelers were permitted to mix freely with guests at the Sofitel Hotel, Gatwick, in the parking lot on Thursday
Two young Sofitel staff members tried to call a roll using loudspeakers, but it was too much for them. Exasperated tourists captured the incident on video.
Half-dressed, many patrons, including those holding babies or reassuring children young, were left to their own devices, until the emergency service arrived. To protect themselves from the chill, some were wrapped in blankets made of industrial materials.
MailOnline has learned that guests who spent an hour outdoors in cold 35.6F (2C temperatures) are now inside.
Pierre de Villiers (50), a Cape Town-based travel journalist, told Mail Online that alarms started to sound shortly before 8am.
“Everyone panicked, trying to escape their rooms as if there was fire. The hotel staff was not present at the beginning. It was chaotic. A guard eventually came to our aid and asked us not to go. He didn’t appear to have any idea if the fire was going on so it was impossible to find out.
“We made our way through the fire escapes to the airport. There were many people collapsing together.
Quarantining travellers told MailOnline that Thursday morning’s chaos at Sofitel Gatwick was like a ‘superspreader event’
There were many people who were only half dressed, and some of them held babies, or tried to comfort young children.
MailOnline has learned that guests who spent an hour outdoors in cold 35.6F temperatures (2C) are now inside.
MailOnline was told by Eyewitnesses that they initially were told to remain in their rooms despite the sirens of the fire alarm blaring all around. Security then allowed them to go 15 minutes later.
“There were mothers with infants, children young, an elderly person in a wheelchair, and people in their pajamas. They all seemed to be in panic.
“Airport security appeared and began trying to bring everyone together. Then, people started to say: “What are they talking about?” We were meant to be isolating…we must remain distant.”
“So, we were spilling onto the street as nobody wanted to be near anyone else. That meant that the people blocking cars entering to drop off passengers for their flights was a problem.
“Finally, police were called in and they started to calm down the situation.
To help people who were cold, blankets were provided. The Fire Brigade arrived and declared it safe to return.
“But the episode was in chaos – like they didn’t adapt their usual fire drill for it to be a quarantine facility. Total chaos.’
Other guests also criticised the lack of organization at the hotel during the fire alarm and called the conditions unsafe.
Robert Lee had just arrived at the hotel about an hour before. Security guards told him he couldn’t leave his bedroom despite the sound of the fire alarm.
Lee said that Lee was finally allowed to leave his hotel room after an hour, although there weren’t any senior management around.
Sally Buckmaster tweets: “Chaos in Gatwick Sofitel, with guests being told to remain in their rooms during the fire alarm. Then evacuated in unsafe conditions and left in the cold.”