Following the deaths of a British couple staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in August, Steigenberger Hotels AG, the German hotel chain, has “increased measures and quality checks that are aimed to prevent such a tragic event from being repeated,” Sven Hirschler, the senior director of corporate communications at the hotel group, told Al-Ahram Weekly. On 21 August John Cooper, 69, and his wife Susan, 63, from Burnley, died after falling ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel. They had arrived in Hurghada on 13 August accompanied by their daughter Kelly Ormerod and her children. “Since we haven't seen the full report of the prosecutors yet and considering the fact that examinations at Hotel Aqua Magic are still ongoing, obviously we cannot confirm that the family was infected through food consumed on the hotel premises,” Hirschler said in response to e-mail questions. Egypt's Prosecutor-General Nabil Saddek said in a statement last month that the death of a British couple in August at a Hurghada hotel was caused by an E. coli infection. According to Saddek, forensic reports had shown E. coli bacteria was a factor in both deaths. E. coli bacteria had caused acute intestinal dysentery in Cooper, leading to a heart attack that caused his death, while his wife died of haemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), likely to have been caused by exposure to E. coli. She was in the same room and eating the same food as her husband. E. coli bacterium is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of the bacterium are harmless, though some can cause severe food poisoning. It is transmitted to humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated raw vegetables. “We are all deeply saddened and concerned by what has taken place at a Steigenberger franchise hotel in Hurghada. Our thoughts are with the family members of the deceased couple. We offer them our heartfelt condolences in this difficult situation,” Hirschler said. Hirschler said hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) are standard practice in place at all the company's property and food samples are analysed by an external company. “Daily food samples are taken and kept as per HACCP guidelines,” he said. The hotels also employ dedicated hygiene managers who perform regular audits on all properties. “We review our high quality across all hierarchy levels at regular intervals and in unannounced spot checks,” said Hirschler. Although Steigenberger Hotels AG has not confirmed the deaths of the British couple were due to E. coli infection from food consumed on the premises of the Steigenberger franchise hotel in Hurghada it increased quality checks following the tragedy. Guidelines and safety specifications for all franchise hotels are also being reviewed and updated where necessary. Hirschler told the Weekly they will ensure employees receive more detailed awareness training regarding possible risks. “We will continue to analyse the situation on site on an ongoing basis, and additional measures will be put in place as and when required,” he said. Before the prosecutor-general's office had issued its findings the British couple's travel agency Thomas Cook revealed that high levels of E. coli had been found in food served at the hotel. The company, which sent independent investigators to check the safety of food, water and air in the hotel, said “the tests on the food and hygiene standards identified a high level of E. coli and staphylococcus bacteria.” The deaths of the couple were met with a flurry of speculation in August. It was even suggested they had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty air-conditioning unit. Red Sea Governor Ahmed Abdallah said at the time records from the hotel's clinic in the week preceding the couple's death showed 23 out of 1,995 guests had sought medical assistance. Complaints of stomach cramps, he added, were probably caused by a failure to adjust to unfamiliar foods or the ingestion of seawater while swimming. Though 300 customers were flown home by Thomas Cook following the incident the British firm said bookings had not been hit by the death of the British couple. Reuters quoted the British company's Egyptian agent Moody Al-Shaer saying: “Thomas Cook expects its Egypt bookings to grow by 30-35 per cent this year compared to last year.” Al-Shaer was optimistic about the winter 2019 season, saying bookings through Thomas Cook will be responsible for a 25 per cent increase in Egypt's overall tourist arrivals next year. The tourism industry in Egypt, a key earner of foreign currency, suffered following the political upheavals of 2011 and subsequent fears over security, and only recently began to recover. The Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority reports tourist traffic to Egypt during the first half of this year increased by 40 per cent compared to the same period last year, with five million tourists visiting the country.
