Woman refused refund for 'mouldy' Taupō motel room

Karen Nicol documented the grime. Photo / Karen Nicol

A Whanganui mum has taken her campaign for a refund online after being rebuffed by the management of a Taupō motel she labelled "gross" and "filthy".

Karen Nicol shared video of her room at the Barcelona Motel, showing visible mould and dirt, a hole letting a cold draught in and badly stained bed linen.

The video sees an irate Nicol take viewers on a tour of the room, armed with a white cloth which is quickly fouled by grime as she wipes it across surfaces.

She also complained the "gross" smell of the room, the cold temperature, and the noise of the heater which she says she was forced to run all night.

After sharing the video to Facebook, Taupō locals piled on, with many demanding the closure of the motel.

Armed with a white cloth, Karen Nicol exposed the grime. Photo / Karen Nicol

Mould was clearly visible on the shower curtain. Photo / Karen Nicol

Nicol told Newshub that she paid $288 for a one-night stay for her and her son on July 16.

She said she did not want to stay in the room aftering being "overwhelmed" by the smell and distressed by its condition.

When she asked a staff member for a refund, she was refused.

After realising that she could not afford another motel and would have to stay in the room, Nicol recorded the video.

She suffered through a night curled on the floor with her own blanket because of the condition of the bed, which she told Newshub was "wet to the touch".

Staff at the motel said the stain could have been caused by someone spilling a drink. Photo / Karen Nicol

Nicol then took her concerns to the Taupō District Council, but Nicol claims they told her there were "no health and safety issues".

Taupō District Council chief executive Gareth Green told Newshub that when a council inspector visited, the rooms had "received a deep clean and had been aired".

He also said the council would be supporting the motel's management in identifying "the kinds of things that need to be addressed in cleaning the rooms".

A gap in the room's front door let a draught through. Photo / Karen Nicol

In response to questions from Newshub, a staff member at the Barcelona Motel claimed that the mess seen in the video had been made by her Nicol herself.

He said the stains on the bed could have been caused by someone spilling a drink and further claimed that the motel's guests often dirtied their own rooms.