Lara Worthington’s mother has denied taking unflattering photos of her Sydney hotel room to make her quarantine conditions look worse than they really are.
Sharon Bingle, 63, returned to Australia on an international flight on Monday and, like other travellers, must stay in a hotel for 14 days at the taxpayers’ expense to limit the spread of coronavirus.
She has been housed in an inner west hotel with a rustic and ‘industrial chic’ look, which she believes is dingy and inadequate.
!['Help': Sharon insisted she was sick enough to be in hospital and said it was 'unexceptionable' [sic] for her to stay in a hotel room for 14 days](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/03/30/21/26570028-8169239-_Help_Sharon_insisted_she_was_sick_enough_to_be_in_hospital_and_-m-11_1585601742242.jpg)
Hitting back: Lara Worthington’s mother, Sharon Bingle, has denied taking unflattering photos of her Sydney hotel room to make her quarantine conditions look worse than they really are
Sharon and her daughter shared photos to social media of the room, highlighting its rusted chairs, cork board features and exposed concrete ceiling.
It didn’t take long for amateur sleuths on Twitter to research the hotel and dig up pictures that paint the rooms in a far more flattering light.
They accused Sharon – without proof, it should be noted – of staging the photos to make her accommodation look ‘dingy’ and uninhabitable.
Not good enough? In accordance with the government’s rules on Australians returning from overseas, Sharon has been housed in Sydney hotel with a rustic and ‘industrial chic’ look. However, she has complained that her accommodation is dingy and inadequate
Spot the difference: It didn’t take long for amateur sleuths on Twitter to research the hotel and dig up pictures that paint the rooms in a far more flattering light
‘The chair has cushions’: Twitter users accused Sharon – without proof, it should be noted – of staging the photos to make her accommodation look ‘dingy’ and uninhabitable
![Allegations: One person tweeted, 'Quick, let's close the curtains to make the room look dark and dingy, and remove the cushion from the chair... [This is] the type of stripped back, industrial chic digs that celebs would pay a premium for'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/03/30/22/26602804-8169239-image-a-16_1585602238138.jpg)
Allegations: One person tweeted, ‘Quick, let’s close the curtains to make the room look dark and dingy, and remove the cushion from the chair… [This is] the type of stripped back, industrial chic digs that celebs would pay a premium for’
One person tweeted: ‘Quick, let’s close the curtains to make the room look dark and dingy, and remove the cushion from the chair… [This is] the type of stripped back, industrial chic digs that celebs would pay a premium for.’
Another added: ‘I was just thinking that. make the room look as crap as possible for some sensationalism.’
Meanwhile, several Twitter users shared photos of the hotel taken by other guests, which show the rooms looking comfortable and furnished.
![Having her say: In another post, she disputed claims her rusted chair had originally come with a pillow, saying: 'This is not my chair... lies. We all need to be mindful before we open our mouth. Australian media, shame on [you]. Print the truth'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/03/30/22/26602796-8169239-image-m-24_1585602342313.jpg)
‘Not true’: Sharon has furiously denied these allegations on Instagram, saying that professional photos of the hotel don’t reflect the room she was assigned
Dispute: She shared a WHO magazine article about her experience at the hotel which included positive TripAdvisor reviews. ‘Not true. You nasty Twitter trolls will believe anything,’ she wrote
Sharon has furiously denied these allegations on Instagram, saying that professional photos of the hotel don’t reflect the room she was assigned.
She shared a WHO magazine article about her experience at the hotel which included positive reviews from TripAdvisor. ‘Again, not true. You nasty Twitter trolls will believe anything,’ she wrote.
In another post, she disputed claims her rusted chair had originally come with a pillow, saying: ‘This is not my chair… lies. We all need to be mindful before we open our mouth. Australian media, shame on [you]. Print the truth.’
Controversy: The hotel saga began when Lara Worthington (left) complained about her mother’s accommodation while in quarantine in Sydney on Monday morning
The hotel saga began when Lara Worthington complained about her mother’s accommodation while in quarantine in Sydney on Monday morning.
The 32-year-old model tweeted photos of Sharon’s living conditions and wrote: ‘Don’t think this looks like a five-star accommodation to me.
‘The next 14 days here for my 63 year old mum… This is unacceptable.’
Unimpressive? Sharon, 63, returned to Australia on an international flight on Monday and, like other travellers, must stay in a hotel for 14 days to limit the spread of coronavirus. Lara shared this Twitter post decrying the ‘unacceptable’ conditions at her mother’s Sydney hotel
With two thirds of the country’s COVID-19 cases from or closely linked to overseas travellers, vacant hotels are being used to house new arrivals so they are not able to spread the disease.
While reports suggest travellers have been placed in high-end accommodation, Lara found her mother’s hotel inadequate.
Lara shared unflattering photos of the small room – which appears to have an intentionally rustic look – and also noted that Sharon was ‘showing heavy symptoms’ of coronavirus.
‘Don’t think this looks like a five-star accommodation to me’: Lara shared unflattering photos of the small room and also noted that Sharon was ‘showing heavy symptoms’ of coronavirus
Missed the mark: But she faced a Twitter backlash, with fans calling her comments ‘tone deaf’
‘It’s not meant to be five-star luxury’: The majority of Lara’s followers agreed that the safety of the community should take priority over the comfort of international arrivals
Lara soon faced a backlash on Twitter, with fans calling her comments ‘tone deaf’.
One person tweeted: ‘It’s quarantine, not an extension to your luxury holiday. Less complaining would be appreciated, we are all making sacrifices and doing it tough.’
Another wrote: ‘Seriously? So maybe she should have come home earlier. I have no sympathy – there was no guarantee of five-star accommodation. You take what you get and just because she’s your mum doesn’t mean she is entitled to five-star service.’
A third tweeted: ‘Five star or not is absolutely besides the point; spare a thought for those worse off (and there plenty).’
The majority of Lara’s followers agreed that the safety of the community should take priority over the comfort of international arrivals.
Not impressed: Sharon herself has been complaining about the hotel on her personal Instagram account. She expressed disgust at the cereal breakfast (left) and vegetarian casserole dinner (right) provided by the hotel
Depressing: One of the photos showed the bedroom looking sparse and uninviting
Smoke and mirrors? However, professional images of the hotel suggest Sharon may have taken deliberately unflattering photos
‘WTF’: She shared this photo of a slightly stained towel
Sharon herself has been complaining about the hotel on her personal Instagram account.
She expressed disgust at the cereal breakfast and vegetarian casserole dinner provided by the hotel, and also shared a close-up photo of a slightly stained towel.
Meanwhile, she insisted she was sick enough to be in hospital and said it was ‘unexceptionable’ [sic] for her to stay in a hotel room for 14 days.
It’s unclear where Sharon was travelling from, but it’s possible she was visiting her daughter in Los Angeles, where Lara lives in a $10.9million mansion with her actor husband, Sam Worthington, and their two sons, Rocket and Racer.
The couple are expecting their third child.
No worries! This woman was sent to the Hilton Sydney for her 14-day quarantine after arriving in Australia. She shared photos of her lavish suite and seemed happy with the arrangement
Not bad! In Melbourne, people are being accommodated in the Crown Promenade, where guests typically pay at least $233 per night
Other Australian travellers staying in hotels for 14 days of isolation have complained they are living in ‘quarantine hell’ with no fresh air and terrible food.
In Sydney, travellers are being sent to numerous hotels, including the InterContinental, Swissôtel and the Novotel on Darling Harbour, where rooms start from $200 per night. (Sharon was not staying at any of these hotels.)
In Melbourne, people are being accommodated in the Crown Promenade, where guests typically pay at least $233 per night.
As of Monday night, there are 4,220 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 18 deaths.
Pandemic: As of Monday night, there are 4,220 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 18 deaths