A family’s dream holiday to Hollywood turned into a nightmare when they arrived at the ‘luxury’ villa – to find it was an unfinished building site.
The Russell-Illingworth family were excited to spend seven days living like celebs at a six-bed Los Angeles villa overlooking Hollywood Hills.
They forked out £2,450 for a week at the private penthouse after seeing the online advert featuring photos of an epic BBQ entertainment area and huge pool.
The back yard area in the villa in Hollywood, USA as it looked when the Russell-Illingworth family arrived. Debris and construction utensils lay strewn across a giant tarpaulin
But when the group of six arrived after a long flight, they found the home was a half-finished ‘bombsite’, with an outdoor area covered in rubble, tools and dirt.
There was glass on the floor, exposed pipes, trenches and sand bags littered around the outside of the property, with tarpaulin sheets spread around the villa.
The furious family from Grassington, North Yorkshire, were forced to rent a second six-bed villa at a cost of £3,500, which Mr Russell-Illingworth had to pay for on his credit card.
They were eventually refunded.
The family forked out £2,450 for a week at the luxury house after seeing the online advert featuring photos of a BBQ entertainment area and huge pool – which turned out to be green
Mother-of-three Mrs Russell-Illingworth said: ‘Staying in Los Angeles is something we have always dreamed of doing.
‘Mark went in the villa first to check it out. But when he came back to the car he said ‘love we’re not staying here, it’s not suitable’.
‘So I went in afterwards. I walked out to the back and just thought oh my god.
When the group arrived after a long flight, they found the home was a half-finished ‘bombsite’, with an outdoor area covered in tools and dirt. This is how the house was shown in the listing
‘I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a bombsite and I was just so shocked. I was angry and very upset.’
Mark added: ‘The stairways were covered in metal and there were bits of glass everywhere.
‘The pool was full but it was a horrible green colour and had glass in it. It was like I was standing in a building yard.’
The family from Grassington, Yorkshire, were forced to rent a second six-bed villa at a cost of £3,500, which Mr Russell-Illingworth had to pay for on his credit card. The ‘BBQ area’ shown
Furniture store owner, Becky and Mark booked the £2,450 a week villa in July 2019 through booking.com.
It was listed on the website as a ‘Holiday Hills gem’ with five bedrooms, a BBQ area, outdoor pool and a huge garden area located just 1.5 miles from Universal Studios.
The couple had planned the seven-day trip to Hollywood as part of a bigger two week adventure with their their son, Jenson, five, two daughters Mica, 18, Lois, 20 and her boyfriend, Yulan, also 20.
The stay in LA followed a seven day ski trip in Montreal, where Lois is studying at university for a year.
The Russell-Illingworth (Mark far left, Becky centre) family were excited to spend seven days living like celebs at a six-bed Los Angeles villa overlooking Hollywood Hills
The couple had planned the seven-day trip to Hollywood as part of a bigger two week adventure with their their son, Jenson, five, two daughters Mica, 18, Lois, 20 and her boyfriend, Yulan, also 20
Mother-of-three Mrs Russell-Illingworth said: ‘Staying in Los Angeles is something we have always dreamed of doing.’ An extension of the main property is shown under renovation
This is how the area was supposed to look, with manicured lawns and elegant sliding doors into a luxury bolthole within the grounds of the property
The party of six turned up at the villa in their rental car with a boot full of shopping at 5pm on January 9.
But the second leg of their trip got off to a disastrous start and Mr Russell-Illingworth recalls the moment he first realised what the luxury villa really looked like.
He said: ‘I went in first just to check it out and Becky stayed in the car with the kids.
‘The inside looked alright, it was a bit untidy but it was what it said it’d be on the website.
‘The inside looked alright, it was a bit untidy but it was what it said it’d be on the website,’ said Mr Russell-Illingworth. The area straddling the pool was supposed to be luxury, but was a mess
‘Then I went outside and walked to the upper garden area where the pool and BBQ area was.
‘The whole top deck was just a mess. There were trenches in the soil, groundsheets everywhere and tools just laid around. It was effectively still a building yard.’
Mr Russell-Illingworth said he phoned booking.com looking for answers. He said he was then given a number for who he believes are the owners of the property.
The pair apparently manage dozens of other properties and while Mr Russell-Illingworth said he did speak to someone on the phone about the state of the villa, he’s unsure who it was.
A man offered a 30% and later a 40% discount for the stay. But the father argued for a full refund – which has since been paid to the family.
There was glass on the floor, exposed pipes, trenches and sand bags littered around the outside of the property, with tarpaulin sheets spread around the villa – a far cry from luxury
The parents began a frantic online search on their smartphones for alternative accommodation for the week.
Thankfully they did come across a place available the same night and only a 15 minute drive away.
But the huge six-bed villa came at a cost of £3,500, which Mr Russell-Illingworth had to pay for on his credit card.
He has since learned the villa was in the middle of a refurbishment and is upset no one contacted him to say the work would not be finished in time.
He said: ‘When I was on the phone to the owner I told them it wasn’t safe and demanded a refund. It just was not safe.
Mr Russell-Illingworth said: ‘When I was on the phone to the owner I told them it wasn’t safe and demanded a refund. It just was not safe.’ He cited exposed pipes in his complaint, shown
‘It was everything we worked towards for a long time and when we got there we couldn’t wait to enjoy spending some time in the pool. But the outside area was non-existent.
‘The response from the owners was appalling. I only ever spoke to them on the phone once. A lot of the time we spoke to booking.com. We have had no apology or anything.’
Mrs Russell-Illingworth added: ‘The holiday did turn out to be exactly what we wanted and we had a fabulous time.
‘We saw the sights in Hollywood and it was great. We came away with very good memories. It really was fantastic.’
Mrs Russell-Illingworth added: ‘The holiday did turn out to be exactly what we wanted and we had a fabulous time.’ The incomplete back garden of the property is shown here
The family has lodged a complaint with booking.com. The site has since blocked anyone else from making future reservations at the property.
Mike Russell-Illingworth has moved to warn others to be extra careful when making online bookings and has urged other holiday makers to conduct thorough checks by reading reviews.
A Booking.com spokesperson said: ‘Because our overarching aim is to facilitate smooth and enjoyable travel experiences, in the very rare instance that a customer might show up to a property and it does not meet their expectations.
The exterior of the Hollywood property. The family said the interior was ‘fine,’ but it was the incomplete and hazardous back garden area that was the problem
‘Our customer service team are on hand 24/7 to investigate and advocate on their behalf, including relocating them to another property if needed.
‘We have apologised for the customer’s experience due to the renovations taking place by the property and have offered to cover the cost of their alternative accommodation, alongside additional compensation.
‘Furthermore, we are working closely with the property to ensure that they set accurate expectations for our customers in future with the information they list on Booking.com, particularly with regards to any renovations.’
On the listing for the property, a note reads: ‘We’re sorry, but it is currently not possible to make reservations for this hotel on our site. Click here to see nearby hotels.’