Travel firm TUI has issued a refund to a party of travellers after they were greeted by an effigy of their dead son at a luxury hotel in Jamaica.
Hotel staff at the Royalton Jamaica Resort created the display on a bed in a “misguided” attempt at a tribute, the BBC reported.
Karen Baker had asked for employees to arrange a room ahead of the arrival of her friends, Faye and Andrew Stephens, whose son Alex died in 2014.
But upon arrival at their room, Baker, Alex’s godmother, was left “sweating and shaking” when met with the display, which included a fully-dressed, life-sized effigy, holding a can of lager.
A spokesperson for TUI said a refund had been arranged following the “misunderstanding”.
Baker, from Hertfordshire, told BBC Three Counties radio that the group had made visits to Jamaica as part of an annual tradition since Alex died, in order to celebrate his birthday.
Baker was the first to discover the effigy. “When I walked into the bedroom, all I can describe is a dummy body on the bed,” she said.
“Staff had gone through my friend’s wardrobe and stuffed the clothes with towels to make it look like a body on the bed. They even put tears down the face and a can of lager in his hand.
“I was absolutely horrified – as you can imagine I was sweating and shaking. We just didn’t want our friends to see it.”
The refund totalled £1,300 per person for the five-star holiday, Baker said.
A TUI spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “We offer our sincere apologies to the Baker party for their holiday experience in Jamaica.
“We’re following up with the hotel and believe it was a misunderstanding with no intention to cause upset.
“We would like to thank the Bakers for making us aware. We are in direct contact with the group to apologise and offer a gesture of goodwill.”