Fitness club members in fear after sauna blaze
Safety called into question with ‘no remedial action taken’
DISGRUNTLED members of a leisure club at a hotel near Heathrow have raised fears over safety issues after a sauna caught fire.
Regular users of the Pace Health & Fitness Club at the Park Inn by Radisson London Heathrow, in Bath Road, claimed the blaze could have been prevented had senior management listened to their earlier concerns, but this has been denied by the hotel manager.
Up to 30 members who have been using the facilities for up to 30 years have urged the head office to step in, describing services and equipment as ‘below par’ and ‘deteriorating’.
One user of the health club, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The sauna caught fire many weeks ago. This safety issue could have been prevented had senior staff taken advice from several members and guests.
“A senior director was informed of the fire dangers back in early May, as we understand, but no remedial action was taken.
“This was an extremely serious and dangerous issue, not only for health members/guests but for the whole hotel had the fire escalated.
“The sauna has yet to be replaced and months have elapsed since the fire.”
The cause of the fire, which happened in the men’s sauna room in June, has not yet been identified.
Neil Muir, general manager at the Park Inn Heathrow, said: “The fire was contained within the cabin and quickly extinguished by members of the hotel fire party.
“The fire brigade attended and were happy with the actions taken and procedures followed.
“The cause of the fire has not yet been identified, but there is no evidence to suggest that it was due to defective equipment.
“The health, safety and security of our guests and team members is of paramount importance and we follow rigorous measures to ensure all equipment is safe and well maintained.
“The sauna is checked hourly by the leisure club team and serviced regularly by an external contractor, most recently on May 11 2016, when no defects or issues were found.
“At the request of members, the sauna will now be replaced with a steam room.
“The order has been placed and we are pushing for a delivery as soon as possible.
“We value all leisure club member feedback, investigate all complaints and issues highlighted, and implement a programme of action where it is needed.”
Other issues that were raised included cold showers; insects in the pool area; general uncleanliness and mortar debris from brickwork by the jacuzzi.
Mr Muir also added council officers from Hillingdon Council recently visited the hotel and were satisfied with the standards at the leisure club, including cleanliness and health and safety procedures.
Management has since held a meeting with a number of unhappy leisure club users and heard their grievances, as a result of which an action plan has been put into place.