A TOURIST is gunning for a Granada holiday rental firm after she found herself trapped inside an apartment for eight hours during a catastrophic storm.
Chinese-Kiwi author Camellia Yang, 37, said she became locked inside the building of her rented flat on Granada’s Calle Parraga, 13, after the front door’s electric lock malfunctioned on February 4.
The date coincided with the arrival of the devastating Storm Leonardo, which battered the city and left many people stranded and towns cut off by rising flood waters.
The property, managed by Granada-based ChezmoiHomes, appeared to lack a functioning manual override – a shocking safety flaw that could have ended in tragedy as torrential rain and gale-force winds howled outside.
“It was an absolute nightmare,” Yang told the Olive Press. “And infuriating.”
“I cannot believe this company is allowed to operate like this,” she added. “No manual override for the door? No safety mechanisms? Seriously?”
“So many things could have gone wrong,” Yang said.
“What if a fire had broken out? Or if I’d had a medical emergency? What if the property had flooded like so many others during the storm in Andalucia?”
To add insult to injury, Yang said ChezmoiHomes urged her not to call the police during the ordeal, promising a refund of the full €420 booking cost.
However, at the time of writing, the author confirmed she has yet to receive any reimbursement – and added the company has since stopped responding to her emails and messages.
Yang, who is currently based in Lisbon, had rented the property from January 30 to February 5 while travelling solo in Granada.
The nightmare began at around 11.45am, when the holidaymaker realised the building’s glass sliding doors were jammed shut and could not be forced open.
After contacting ChezmoiHomes by text, property managers explained that Granada was under an orange weather alert and that similar issues had been reported across the area.
They claimed the fault could only be resolved by the city’s electricity provider, Endesa, and insisted there was nothing further they could do.
Despite assurances that technicians would arrive by 3.30pm, Yang remained trapped until approximately 7.20pm, when the door was finally unlocked.
Around lunchtime, ChezmoiHomes told Yang she could order food and would be reimbursed the following day.
Although she placed an order – which was eventually passed to her through a narrow gap in the door – Yang says that expense has never been repaid either.
“Of course, this pales in comparison to the horrendous safety hazard,” she said. “But it just shows their lack of professionalism.”
Following the incident, Yang reported the matter to Spain’s Policia Nacional as well as Andalucia’s Consejeria de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte.
Regional officials confirmed that the investigation could lead to fines for ChezmoiHomes over potential breaches of tourism regulations.
A ChezmoiHomes spokesperson told the Olive Press the incident occurred under extraordinary circumstances, as Storm Leonardo unleashed severe weather across Andalucia and Granada grappled with rising river levels and flood risks.
“This has never happened to us before,” the spokesperson said. “And it only happened because of the storm.”
The company, which manages around 60 properties in Granada and several more across Andalucia, also insisted the building door is equipped with a manual override mechanism.
Pressed on why it was not activated to release Yang, they responded only: “We are in contact with the company that installed the door.”
Yang, who booked the apartment through Booking.com and is a top-tier loyalty member, also lodged a complaint with the platform.
She said Booking.com acknowledged the issue but was ‘unable to reach an agreement with the property.’
The company instead offered €75 in travel credits as a goodwill gesture.
At the time of writing, ChezmoiHomes’ property on Calle Parraga remains listed as available on Booking.com.
ChezmoiHomes insists that Yang’s reimbursement is currently being processed.
“These were extraordinary circumstances,” the spokesperson said. “I think Yang could show some understanding. We were under a region-wide weather alert — it was an unprecedented situation.”
But Yang argued that this was exactly why proper safety mechanisms are essential.
“They are supposed to exist for situations like this,” she said.
Click here to read more Granada News from The Olive Press.
