Tourists sue 'filthy' Edinburgh guest house after bedbugs ruin their holiday

A mum and daughter are suing a ‘filthy’ Edinburgh guest house after claiming they were both bitten by bedbugs which ‘completely spoiled’ their weekend getaway in July 2018.
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Ildiko Kolosvay, 53, was left with ‘very big, red, and very painful’ welts all over her body after two nights at the now closed Regis Guest House on Gilmore place.

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“After staying the first night I noticed a big bite on my arm but I had no idea what it was,” said Ms Kolosvay, who was visiting the city from her home in London.

Ildiko Kolosvay and her daughter Zsophia Dinyesi.Ildiko Kolosvay and her daughter Zsophia Dinyesi.
Ildiko Kolosvay and her daughter Zsophia Dinyesi.
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“Then after the second night I started to get more and more, and they were becoming large, itchy, and painful.”

Ms Kolosvay became alarmed by the painful bites, and called her GP, who advised her to take antihistamines as she had had an allergic reaction to the bites.

The pair had come to Edinburgh the first time to do some sightseeing for a few days, and had paid around £340 to stay at the guest house.

Her daughter said ‘alarm bells’ had started ringing as soon as they arrived, as the rooms looked ‘filthy’.

Ms Kolosvay was covered in 'big, red, painful bites'.Ms Kolosvay was covered in 'big, red, painful bites'.
Ms Kolosvay was covered in 'big, red, painful bites'.
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“When we got to the room it was very dirty and the garden was also very messy. That was the first sign that something was wrong,” Ms Dinyesi said.

“The next day my mum had a bite but we didn’t know what it was. They started to get bigger and bigger and she ended up having about 10 huge bites all over her body, she had taken a bad reaction to them.”

The mum and daughter were in separate rooms at the guest house.

“I ended up getting bitten the second night in the other guest room,” said Ms Dinyesi, who claims she could feel the creatures moving around in her bed.

The pair stayed at the Regis Guest House.The pair stayed at the Regis Guest House.
The pair stayed at the Regis Guest House.
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“I could feel the bugs biting me all through the night - it was horrible,” she said.

“I had more than 50 bites all over my body but they were smaller because I wasn’t allergic.

The Regis is now closed, but its directors operate another guest house, the Braveheart, registered to the same address, 26 Gilmore Place.

“We’ve never had a problem with bedbugs here,” said Ricado Bernadino, Manager of the Braveheart.

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Anne Munnoch, Director of the Regis and Secretary of the Braveheart, was unavailable for comment.

Ms Kolosvay and her daughter have engaged a firm of solicitors, Watermans, to sue the guest house.

"What was supposed to be a memorable experience for a mum and daughter turned into a nightmare. The thought of trying to sleep in what's supposed to be a relaxing environment and being bitten during the night can be very stressful," said Aimee Elder of Watermans, who is representing the case.

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