A woman paying thousands to stay in Rotorua managed isolation claims her dinner was forgotten five times and she waited an hour for replacement cutlery after her disposable fork snapped trying to cut a "giant hunk of dry beef".
And when the woman did get meals, she claimed, one resulted in 24 hours of diarrhoea.
But a spokeswoman for the Ibis Hotel said it recorded all meal orders and was not aware of anyone missing a meal or of guests saying they had missed that many.
The woman, who would not be named, was staying in Rotorua's Ibis Hotel. She had returned from Europe and paid $3100 for her stay, which ended today.
"I'm not against paying. What I object to is paying the same amount as someone who ends up in a far superior hotel."
The woman claimed that on the first night she missed dinner but did not say anything because she had been given two lunches - one from the menu and a corned beef on a salad.
The next night, she was missed again, and when the meal finally arrived it did not meet her needs, she said.
The final meal missed was on Wednesday. When she asked, she was given "a giant hunk of dry beef".
Rotorua's Ibis Hotel. Photo / File
She said the "tough" beef had snapped one of her disposable forks and she claimed it took an hour and two phone calls to get a replacement.
"I'm just exhausted by it all. I was annoyed, hungry, now I just stopped caring and decided to do orders from Countdown so I could have snacks I knew I could eat."
One night, she was given roast potato and "naked" gluten-free pasta with roast chicken on top.
The woman said, in her opinion and based on her experience, there was a lack of co-ordination at the facility. One day, four staff members came to take her order, she claimed.
However, the last two days the woman's meals had been good after a helpful staff member came to her room to understand her needs, she said.
A Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) spokeswoman said the hotel recorded all meal orders and were not aware of any returnee missing a meal or any guests saying they had missed so many meals.
"Staff do all they can to make sure each and every guest enjoys their stay, however, apologise if this experience has created additional stress and anxiety."
She said alternative meal options were available and prepared in consultation with the returnee once their dietary needs were known.
If hotel staff had trouble getting in touch with the guest to receive their order, they were expected to visit the guest to talk through meal options.
Allergies, intolerances, preferences, cultural and religious considerations were typically identified through a questionnaire returnees filled in when they arrived.
All food procurement, preparation, and storage complied with New Zealand food safety standards, she said.
Returnees were encouraged to raise issues or concerns and she said everyone was given the same level of service whether they were charged for their stay or not.
Ibis and the Minister in charge of managed isolation facilities Megan Woods were approached for comment and the Rotorua Daily Post was referred to MIQ.
