Michaela Strachan’s rant about £2,250 quarantine hotel backfires

Michaela Strachan’s Twitter rant about the £2250 quarantine hotel where she is staying after flying into the UK from South Africa has backfired, as followers slammed her for acting ‘spoilt’ and ‘tone deaf’.

The Springwatch presenter, 55, described the Radisson Hotel in Hounslow, west London, as a ‘posh prison’, saying she was watched by eight security guards while taking a walk and taking objection to being served white bread. 

But furious followers deemed her remarks out of line – forcing the TV host to bite back, claiming she was being ‘tongue-in-cheek’.

‘I feel the urge to clarify,’ she tweeted on Wednesday – her third day of quarantine. She went on: ‘Of course there are disadvantaged people who would find this b/fast a feast.

‘That’s not the point. My point is about value for money. My tweet was supposed to be tongue in cheek, but I really don’t think expecting value for money makes me spoilt?’

Yet this was met with further backlash, with one follower replying: ‘You didn’t just come off as spoiled, you came off judgmental with it. Cereal, toast, fruit & yoghurt pretty much are the standard breakfasts of the nation.

‘It wasn’t that you wanted more for the money that we heard- it’s that you look down on those who consume standard staples.’

Backlash: Furious followers deemed her remarks out of line – forcing the TV host to bite back, claiming she was being ‘tongue-in-cheek’ [pictured 2017]

Another penned: ‘What planet is she on that she moans about her food when disadvantaged children get this (5-7yrs) ¼ of a Bagel plus a cereal of their choice (7-11yrs) ½ a Bagel plus a cereal of their choice (11-16yrs) 1 full bagel plus a cereal of their choice in a breakfast club!’

A third replied: ‘Perhaps complain to the hotel via Trip Advisor or ring reception. It seems a little insensitive at the moment when government are cutting £20 Universal Credit top!’

Many leapt to her defense, with one posting: ‘Dear oh dear oh me !!! What is the world coming to when you can’t complain about a lousy breakfast… You work B****Y hard and I wish people would STOP JUDGING others by just one comment. You should NOT have to aplologise.’ 

‘I fully understood your tweet and can’t see how it could possibly have been misunderstood. Clarity shouldn’t have been necessary and I wouldn’t have been happy either. You’ll always get some looking for reaction on Twitter. Looking forward to Autumnwatch,’ another loyal fan wrote.

Clarification: However the star received some backlash for the comments and later took to social media to explain

A third tweeted: ‘You’re absolutely right and I think most people would have gotten your obvious point that you have been charged an extortionate amount of money. Why isn’t there a menu? Is it a hotel or a prison? I don’t understand why there aren’t more options for food?! Ridiculous.’

‘Michaela, I don’t think you need to justify why said what you did. I’m not privileged, and I never found it your comment demeaning. If I was served that, at that price, I would not be happy!’ came another reply.

Finding the funny side, someone else penned: #Don’t know Michaela… that looks like a pretty expensive apple to me. It’s even got a leaf on the stork, just like in the story books!’

The nature expert’s original tweet read: ‘Day One posh prison. My 15 mins in the exercise yard. 8 of us watched by 8 security guards! Seriously? 

‘What do they think we’re going to do? Dig a tunnel? Have an illegal rave? The world’s gone utterly mad. Will I go mad in the process? Reckon there’s a good chance this time!’

Sharing a picture from her daily walk, she added: ‘Hotel quarantine day 2. Today’s walk; car park, Radisson Hotel, Hounslow. Last week’s walk; Llandudno shipwreck, Cape Town.

Annoyed: The Springwatch presenter, 55, described the Radisson Hotel in Hounslow, west London as a ‘posh prison’, saying she was watched by eight security guards while taking a walk

Sharing a picture from her daily walk, she added: ‘Hotel quarantine day 2. Today’s walk; car park, Radisson Hotel, Hounslow. Last week’s walk; Llandudno shipwreck, Cape Town’

‘Nothing like contrast to make you appreciate the good things in life! ‘Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’ Joni Mitchell’

By day three Michaela said she had ‘lost the will’ as she expressed her distaste over the food being served.

She shared a photo of her breakfast which consisted of two slices of toast, an apple, cereal, and yoghurt with drinks.

Upset: By day three Michaela said she had ‘lost the will’ as she expressed her distaste over the food being served

Accommodation: She took to Twitter as she arrived to show the view out of her hotel window 

One angry person replied to Michaela saying: ‘You didn’t just come off as spoiled, you came off judgemental with it’

However, others defended her opinion saying: ‘Dear oh dear oh me !!! What is the world coming to when you can’t complain about a lousy breakfast…’

The wildlife expert wrote in the caption: ‘Day 3 hotel quarantine. I’m losing the will on day 3! £2250 and this is what you get for breakfast!I haven’t eaten rice crispies since I was 12 and who eats white bread anymore?

‘And I waited an hour and a half for a guard to let me out to the car park. think I need to breathe…..’

Michaela lives in South Africa and was unable to return to the UK to film Springwatch earlier this year due to the travel chaos.