Hotel writes off bill for damage to room let to homeless pair

A Crawley hotel where a room was trashed after a homeless couple stayed there said this week that it would not be seeking payment for the damage.

By The Newsroom

Published 18th Jan 2016, 16:54 BST

Updated 18th Jan 2016, 16:59 BST

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A community campaign was launched to raise money for the couple to stay at the Ibis Hotel in London Road, Crawley, over Christmas after residents were touched by the couple’s plight in sleeping rough.More than £600 was raised to pay for their stay from Christmas Eve until January 2.

But when they left, hotel staff found the room had been wrecked, causing around £1,000 worth of damage.

But a hotel spokesperson said this week: “We can confirm that there was significant damage caused in one of our hotel rooms over the Christmas period. The room was booked in good faith for a charitable cause and as such the hotel will cover the cost of the damage.”

Lewis Holley, 43, of no fixed address was charged at Crawley Court on Monday with criminal damage.