Hotel tried to claim £1,200 bill from DEAD woman after she was forced to cancel booking because she was dying from cancer Anthea Shaw, 65, booked a final holiday at the Hotel Riviera in Sidmouth But she became too ill and her daughter cancelled the five-night stay The hotel's solicitors sent a letter demanding the full fee for 'short notice' Cancer sufferer Anthea Shaw, 65, had to cancel a trip to the Hotel Riviera in Sidmouth, Devon, because she was dying, but the hotel sent her daughter a bill for the full stay A hotel sent its lawyers after a grieving daughter to recover £1,200 after she had to cancel a family holiday - because her mother was dying. Anthea Shaw, 65, was diagnosed with cancer in January and booked five nights at the four star Hotel Riviera in Sidmouth, Devon, in June for a final holiday with her relatives. But the retired florist soon became too ill to travel and her daughter Rebecca Wagstaffe, 42, phoned the hotel six weeks before their trip to cancel the booking. Her mother died three weeks later on May 31, and Mrs Wagstaffe expected the £150 deposit to be returned in full. But the hotel demanded £1,266.67 for the full stay because the cancellation was 'short notice'. Mrs Wagstaffe, from Bath, said: 'When you are going through cancer you need something to look forward to. 'My mother didn't know she was going to die this early.' She is now asking for a formal apology and compensation from the hotel, which told her it would refund the deposit and cancel the fees if she withdrew her complaint on review site TripAdvisor. 'They are obviously embarrassed and ashamed about their business practices and they don't want it communicated any further,' Mrs Wagstaffe said. In the memory of my mother I will continue to fight them until I get an apology because this is unacceptable. Weeks after Mrs Shaw's death, her daughter received a solicitor's letter threatening possible 'recovery action' if 'full cancellation fees' were not paid within 14 days. The letter said that customers were advised to take out travel insurance and that the hotel had not been able to fill the room. Mrs Wagstaffe is now asking for compensation for having to take time off work to deal with the hotel. She said: 'Out of everything - arranging the funeral, telling family - this is the most upsetting and constant piece of administration I have had to go through. 'I don't understand how in this modern customer service times they can be this rigid and unappreciative. Word of mouth is meant to be their bread and butter - this approach is really bad for the British hospitality industry. The Hotel Riviera said Mrs Wagstaffe was refusing to accept a refund for her £150 deposit and was instead demanding £1,500 compensation. The Hotel Riviera in Sidmouth, Devon, has offered to cancel the fees if Mrs Wagstaffe withdraws her complaint from sites such as TripAdvisor A spokesman said: 'At the time of the booking they made no mention to the hotel of any health issues. As with every customer they were strongly advised at the time of booking to take out insurance in respect of any potential cancellation and declined to do so. The booking was cancelled at short notice and the hotel was unable to reallocate the accommodation. 'It is the hotel's standard practice in those circumstances, as it is across the industry, to invoice and recover cancellation charges. 'A polite and sympathetic request was sent to Mrs Wagstaffe by the hotel and subsequently by the hotel's solicitors without success. Following communications from Mrs Wagstaffe the hotel promptly offered to forego the said cancellation charges and indeed to refund any deposit paid. The British Hospitality Association said it would always advise customers to read cancellation procedures at the time of booking and take out appropriate insurance. A spokesman said: 'Likewise accommodation providers need to have a clear and simple cancellation policy that they tell customers about at the time of booking.'