The Blue Keys Hotel: Guest given ticket despite having permit

Highway maintenance worker Ryan Parton, 21, was staying at The Blue Keys Hotel on Northlands Road while he was working on the M27 in November last year.

When he checked in on November 9 and parked his car at the hotel’s parking space, he was given a permit to leave on display in his car.

However, he was later issued a parking charge notice and in the end, had to pay £310 – despite being told by the hotel’s boss that it would be ‘sorted out’.

The 21-year-old from Newport, Wales, said: “The stress of worrying about how to pay for this put me in a really bad place.”

Ryan and his dad, Neil, 53, are doubling down on their efforts to get their money back from the hotel, but said it has led them to being ‘ignored’ by the owner.

Blue Keys Hotel has been approached for comment.

The Blue’s Keys Hotel on Northlands Road, Southampton (Image: Google Maps)

Ryan had just started working as a highway maintenance worker when he got called to work for a month in Southampton.

Wanting to get stuck in and make some money, the 21-year-old was put at The Blue Keys Hotel in the city while he carried out works on the M27.

When he checked in at the hotel on November 9, he was given a parking permit – which he later found had expired.

When he realised he had been issued a parking charge notice he notified the owner of the hotel.

He was told it would be sorted. A week later he called the owner and says he was given the same response and the letter charge remained outstanding for some time.

The following day he was moved to different rooms which meant he started to use a different permit which had not expired.

Ryan stayed at the hotel until December 5 and during this time he was moved between different rooms and during this time he was issued two other parking charges.

He said: “If I had parked in the wrong place I understand why I would be fined, but I always parked in the hotel’s parking spaces outside.”

He told the Echo he tried to call the hotel owner several times on his mobile.

He said: “I struggle with mental health and the stress of it all was just leading me to a very bad place.”

He says he was promised a reimbursement but this has not happened.

Neil, an HGV mechanic, said: “Ryan couldn’t afford to pay them, so I had to pay. Had it been his fault I would have had my son but I agreed to help him because I could see it wasn’t his fault.

"We just want this issue resolved and get our money back."