Around 200 tourists at a hotel in Spain have been banned from leaving through the front door. It comes after reports that the Vivemar Hotel, in Costa del Sol, has been operating without proper licenses.

Local police were called on Tuesday to padlock the front of the four-star hotel in the popular resort of Benalmadena Costa near Torremolinos. The holidaymakers staying at the site, which used to be called the Vistamar Hotel, now have to leave via a ground-floor garage. A large sign was put at the front of the building, which reads: “Precintado” or “Sealed Off” in English. When asked if any British or Irish holidaymakers were staying at the hotel, a receptionist there said: “I’m a bit rushed off my feet at the moment to check where our clients are from but I’d say there would be because we’ve got a bit of everything. There’s almost 200 tourists staying here at the moment because we’re nearly full.

“The police came this morning and sealed the front door. At the moment the only way in and out of the hotel for staff and guests is the garage car park.”

Raul Campos, a spokesman from Benalmadena Town Hall, told local paper Sur: “We have asked in the Junta de Andalucia’s Tourism Department and they say the company that operates the hotel is not in the official register. That means it can’t be officially opened as it does not have the proper documentation.”

However, the hotel swimming pool is reportedly open as normal. The hotel receptionist explained: “The swimming pool is still open and the guests can use it as normal. The car park the guests are having to enter and exit the hotel via is a closed building but it’s on the ground floor.”

The manager of the hotel, Alberto Tusquellas, blamed the situation on a “red tape” hiccup. He explained how a firm called Vive Resort Management SL began operating the hotel around a year ago but their sublease agreement has now been revoked.

According to the owner of the building, named locally as María Jose García Vargas, the sublease was subject to ongoing civil and criminal court action. It’s reported that Vive Resort Management SL had signed a contract to sublet the hotel without the owner knowing.

The hotel is described online as a 138-room hotel with modern facilities. It has a “lush garden” and guests can “relax by the seasonal outdoor swimming pool.”

One online travel website says: “The on-site restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine for dinner, complemented by a bar for refreshments. A buffet breakfast is available each morning, providing a perfect start to the day.”

But a recent guest said: “The cleaning leaves much to be desired. Old room furniture and broken curtain fall out when you try to open the balcony door.  I don’t recommend it to my worst enemy.”

Another wrote: “No towels or bed sheets on the first day. It was hard to order even toilet paper. Little cleaning. Bathrooms don’t do them daily. The dryer was broken. The reception service is abysmal and the buffet is poor quality. Not recommended.”