‘Filthy’: Duncan Bannatyne’s wife Nigora Whitehorn refused to stay at a three star hotel
Duncan Bannatyne’s glamorous wife Nigora Whitehorn refused to stay at a luxury Italian three star hotel after branding the accommodation ‘filthy and disgusting.’
Influencer Nigora, 40, claimed Villa Mon Repos in Sicily was a ‘total bulls*** con’ after she complained to ‘rude’ management about the cleanliness of the rooms but was denied a refund for her four night stay with husband Duncan, 71.
The multimillionaire gym tycoon’s wife was particularly alarmed by the hotel’s ‘terrible pool,’ ‘disgusting room’ and the fact that staff refused to wear face coverings while greeting them and handling their designer luggage.
Dragons’ Den star Duncan, whose wealth as of 2018 was estimated at £280 million, moved his wife out of the three star accommodation and into a five star retreat after she warned her 24K followers against staying at the ‘disappointing’ Italian villa.
Speaking on Instagram, Nigora said: ‘We just arrived to Villa Mon Repos, a total bulls*** con online, so we are moving out.
‘Guys we are moving to the Belmond, which is a five star hotel, what a disappointment’
‘So you guys know, everybody knows what to expect if you ever book this place, it is absolutely atrocious and actually the manager here himself not wearing any mask. They stand in front of their staff, allowing the staff not to wear any masks.’
Nigora, who married Duncan in a luxurious Portugal wedding in 2017, had booked four nights at the Villa Mon Repos in Taormina.
But she said it didn’t live up to its advert online and that the hotel looked nothing like the pictures shared to its Instagram account.
‘Yuck!’ Nigora claimed Villa Mon Repos in Sicily was a ‘total bulls*** con’ after she complained to ‘rude’ management about the cleanliness of the rooms but was denied a refund
‘Absolute con’: Photos of Villa Mon Repos in Sicily posted to the hotel’s Instagram profile show the resort looking clean and aesthetically pleasing
‘Dirty’: Dragons’ Den star Duncan, whose wealth as of 2018 was estimated at £280 million, moved his wife out of the three star accommodation and into a five star retreat
She ranted: ‘This is meant to be a swimming pool of this three star hotel, absolute con how they come across on the website and exactly what it is like inside this house/hotel, three bedroom hotel in Sicily. It’s terrible.
‘So we’re moving out because the room was disgusting. There’s no restaurant, nothing here.
‘The manager was so rude, we just asked him why the room was so filthy, can you please come and have a look but he refused to come and check and now we are moving out and he refuses to refund this place, the four days and four nights that we paid for. It’s not exactly how they advertise it.’
‘They didn’t book the suite’: Manager Christian Busca told MailOnline that Duncan and Nigora believed their reservation was for a week but their secretary only booked for four days
‘It’s not our fault’: He said after not being able to extend their stay due to the villa being fully booked for a wedding that they ‘tried to find any problem in our hotel’
Hotel manager Christian Busca told MailOnline: ‘Mrs Bannatyne and her husband came here and their secretary made their reservation and Mrs Bannatyne was thinking it was for seven days but it was for four days.
‘They asked for additional days but I didn’t have availability because I have a wedding, from this time they tried to find any problem in our hotel and they said it was dirty and a lot of other things.
‘Mr and Mrs Bannatyne don’t understand that our villa is an old villa… it’s not bright like a spa, it might be different to what they’re used to seeing.
‘It’s not our fault if you’re not able to plan your holiday. They booked the smaller room that we have – they didn’t book the suite…’
Married couple: Nigora, who married Duncan in a luxurious Portugal wedding in 2017, claimed Villa Mon Repos didn’t live up to its advertisement online (pictured in Barbados in 2019)
Safety first: Nigora’s faith was restored after arriving at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, which is a five star establishment, alongside Duncan, who emerged from a taxi wearing a mask
‘Where’s your mask?’: Hotel staff not wearing protective face coverings despite the rules currently in place to keep travellers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic also outraged Nigora
Hotel staff not wearing protective face coverings despite the rules currently in place to keep travellers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic also outraged Nigora.
She said: ‘Not only was it really bad but the management was terrible and the staff didn’t wear any masks for us. We arrived with masks and I was really shocked they didn’t wear any masks and actually the lady said, I don’t chose to wear a mask, I don’t have to.’
Her faith was restored after arriving at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, which is a five star establishment, alongside Duncan, who emerged from a taxi wearing a mask.
She said: ‘Now we’re talking, Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo. 5 Star, cute, the best hotel in Taormina, absolutely gorgeous.’
Photos of Villa Mon Repos in Sicily posted on Instagram show the resort looking clean and aesthetically pleasing.
A four night stay at the Italian hotel will have set Duncan and Nigora back roughly £600, while the new venue the couple moved to costs that amount per night.
Reasonable?: A four night stay at the Italian hotel will have set Duncan and Nigora back roughly £600, while the new venue the couple moved to costs that amount per night