A hotel owner has hit back at claims that his staff were rude to a group of 11 women on a hen party.

Bride-to-be Tanya Williams says her hen weekend was ruined due to the “unprofessional” attitude of staff at the Eastwell Manor Spa and Hotel, in Boughton Lees, near Ashford.

Miss Williams, who is due to marry this weekend, says her hens were refused alcohol from the bar during their evening meal at the four star hotel and said members of staff were “whispering behind their backs” and “looking down” on them.

The 24-year-old, who is pregnant, was joined by 10 others for the party at Eastwell Manor on Saturday, including her maid of honour Tayla Wright, who is also pregnant, three other bridesmaids, another pregnant woman, Tayla’s mum and the groom-to-be’s mum, who is teetotal.

They were booked in for the celebration package which costs £160 per person and includes an overnight stay, dinner and breakfast.

“It ruined my hen weekend. I still had a lovely time with my friends and family but the staff were so rude" - Bride-to-be Tanya Williams

However, the group say staff made them feel as if they were being talked about.

They were also refused service at the bar, a situation they describe as “embarrassing”.

Miss Williams said: “It ruined my hen weekend. I still had a lovely time with my friends and family but the staff were so rude.

“There was a slight incident when someone was drunk but it felt like they were whispering behind our backs.”

Miss Williams, from Canterbury, says she felt like the staff were looking down at them.
She adds: “We were a party of 11, we weren’t a quiet couple.”

Party organiser Tayla Wright, who had made blue sashes for the party to wear over their robes, said: “It was a nightmare.

“As maid of honour I spent a very long time organising ‘the perfect’ hen party and chose to spend the sum of £2,000 at Eastwell Manor.”

Miss Wright says that one member of the party did get a bit drunk but says she went back to the room early.

“It was a hen party, one lady got drunk which happens at every hen party. They were quite happy to take our money.”

Miss Wright says the rest of the party enjoyed their treatments and went swimming in the pool on Saturday afternoon.

“When we sat for our very expensive evening meal we were refused wine in front of the whole bar, embarrassing for sober adults” - Tayla Wright

However, adds: “The attitude of the staff was pretentious, unprofessional and condescending.
“Comments were made to pregnant ladies trying to swim ‘did we feel alright’ in a patronising manner.

“When we sat for our very expensive evening meal we were refused wine in front of the whole bar, embarrassing for sober adults.”

Miss Wright, from Herne Bay, who picked Eastwell because it would be relaxing, adds: “I’ve never experienced customer service like it.

“You think they would have made more of a fuss of the bride. Maybe I was expecting too much.

“For many of us it was our first trip there. They [the staff] were really helpful when we booked it.”

On returning from their overnight stay, Miss Wright emailed the hotel to complain.

The manager of the hotel, Turrloo Parrett, replied to say he thought they owed him and his staff an apology.

The friends say they were shocked by the response.

However, Mr Parrett says his only complaint with his staff is that they didn’t ask the hen party to leave the premises.

He says the hens caused a “lot of disruption” during their stay and that they were “thoroughly unpleasant” to members of staff.

“We welcome well-conducted celebration parties but we do not welcome drunken, loutish behaviour, especially when it upsets our other guests and this party certainly managed to achieve that as well as being thoroughly unpleasant to members of my staff”- Hotel manager Turrloo Parrett

He said one lady was declined a treatment because she was “so drunk” and many of the others were “also quite drunk”.

He said the group “caused a lot of disruption throughout the afternoon” and that senior management were called because of this and that they had attempted to take drinks into the swimming pool, which is not allowed for health and safety reasons.

He said: “During the afternoon our duty manager insisted that all inebriated members of the party go to their rooms and members of my staff escorted them to their cottages.

“If anything my criticism is that they were not asked to leave Eastwell Manor there and then.”

Mr Parrett says the group had booked a private room for dinner in the manor but had been advised that they would not be permitted into the restaurant unless they were in “a suitable state” and that they would not be permitted to buy any alcohol that evening because “as they were in a private room we could not monitor who was drinking.”

He admitted that the breakfast room was busy on Sunday morning and that the group were asked to wait in the lounge for a table to become available.

He said: “The restaurant was busy. There would have been used glasses, cups and napkins in the room but they were cleared from the table before the group sat down.”

Mr Parrett adds: “We welcome well-conducted celebration parties but we do not welcome drunken, loutish behaviour, especially when it upsets our other guests and this party certainly managed to achieve that as well as being thoroughly unpleasant to members of my staff.”

He claims complaints were made by other guests.

He said: “In fairness the cottages were not damaged and there were some members of the party who were clearly embarrassed by their fellow party-goers.

“Regardless of how much a party spends we have a duty to protect other guests and our staff from such abusive behaviour.”

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