Hostel at centre of 'mass methanol poisoning' offered free shots in exchange for good reviews, backpacker claims

By Flaminia Luck and Katy Ronkin

A backpacker who stayed at the hostel at the centre of a "mass methanol poisoning" incident in Laos has claimed the venue would give out free shots in exchange for good reviews.

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Six people are now confirmed to have died after drinking poisoned alcohol - including a 28-year-old British woman.

Now, Sarisha, 25, from London, who spent three days at Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng earlier this year while travelling said it was a "tragedy just waiting to happen".

Another guest of the hostel echoed this saying he was "not surprised" and claimed the hostel had a happy hour lasting for two hours offering guests free alcohol.

A third traveller also claimed he was offered money to take down a negative review he left of the venue on Google.

Earlier, Laotian police detained the manager and owner of the hostel involved in the case.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death.

Sarisha said the positive reviews of Nana Backpacking Hostel had influenced her to want to stay there.

She said offering to give guests alcohol in exchange for good reviews was a common practice among hostel owners but criticised it as it encouraged them to make their own homemade moonshine.

"Cheap, locally produced alcohol is very common," she said, but added that in contrast tourists could receive hefty fines or even prison time for using vapes.

Read more: Laos hostel owner arrested after Brit lawyer becomes fifth tourist to die in 'poisoning'

Read more: British lawyer, 28, dies following suspected mass methanol poisoning at bar in Laos

'Very suspicious'

Another traveller, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he was offered money to take down a negative review after staying at the hostel in August.

Screenshots seen by LBC show multiple messages sent by an email address associated with the hostel asking him to take down a negative review he wrote once he’d left Laos.

When the man refused, the hostel offered to pay him in exchange for removing the review and asked for his phone number.

He added he was “very suspicious” of free alcohol served at the hostel.

“I noticed that while the other staff were drinking, they used separate differently branded bottles.

“There was also local patrons that were not drinking the free alcohol, some of which brought their own.

“The staff said any one from the city was welcomed to come and drink the free alcohol, regardless of if you were staying at the hostel itself.”

He also claimed staff were “aggressively predatory” to drunk female patrons who were travelling alone and that money was stolen from his room.

'Shocked'

Backpacker Will, 24, spent ten days in Laos, four of which were at the Nana hostel.

He said he was “shocked” and had a positive experience at the hostel - however he told LBC the poisoning incident “didn’t surprise” him, especially given that there was a two-hour happy hour offering guests free booze.

“The hostel industry in Vang Vieng is very competitive especially with the big hostel companies moving into the area with it becoming more popular among backpackers.

“So if there was a way Nana’s could get an advantage over them, it wouldn’t surprise me if they took it.”

Will added that despite having a “fantastic” time in Vang Vieng the poisoning incident has now put him off.

“I would have loved to return as I really enjoyed my time in the town but now I don’t think I would.”

Lawyer Simone White, 28, from south-east London, is confirmed to have been killed along with Aussie teens Holly Bowles, 19, and Bianca Jones, also 19.

An unnamed US man and two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, are also among the victims.

An officer at Vang Vieng's Tourism Police office said a "number of people" had been detained in the case, but no charges have been filed yet.

Tourist police offices are common in south-east Asia and are set up specifically to help with incidents involving tourists and other foreigners.

The US State Department issued a health alert for citizens traveling in Laos, warning of "suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks", following similar alerts from other countries whose citizens were involved.

The Foreign Ministry has refused to comment, and in Vang Vieng, the small hospital where some of the victims are believed to have been treated initially, referred all questions to the town's health office on the hospital grounds. The town health officials refused to comment, saying they lacked proper permission.