A HOTEL guest said they heard a “God awful row” the night before an alleged stabbing took place.

Police are investigating the incident which happened at the Hallmark Hotel Bournemouth Carlton on East Cliff in Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

A 19-year-old man was charged overnight with grievous bodily harm and assault after the alleged incident.

Several police cars and ambulance vehicles were called to the scene at around 1.15pm, and the woman was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. The stab wounds to her abdomen were serious but not believed to be life-threatening.

A man who attended a function at the hotel the evening before the incident told the Daily Echo: “A friend of mine staying at the hotel said early Saturday evening there was a God awful row coming from a room. A man and a woman were screaming and shouting at each other.

“The police were informed,” he added.

East Cliff councillors Anne Filer and David Kelsey spoke of their shock following the incident.

“I feel for everybody involved who felt disturbed by the incident, including the staff and the other guests. It’s terribly sad,” Cllr Filer said.

Cllr Kelsey said he returned home to find the air ambulance had landed.

“It is shocking something like this has happened in one of the hotels. It’s not the sort of thing you would expect.

“I’m sure everyone at the hotel did their best to make sure everyone was safe. There were a lot of police and it was an isolated incident.”

He added: “One thing you can take from it is that the emergency services attended very quickly to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

Andy Woodland, vice chairman of the Bournemouth Accommodation & Hotel Association, said incidents like this were "quite rare in Bournemouth hotels".

"I would hope this has not put anyone off coming to the hotel in future. Most hotels are very secure and have 24 hour porters and people on the front desk.

"Extra security is rarely needed. If there are any problems, a good dozen hotels on East Cliff are signed up to Hotelwatch and can share information quickly."

At the height of Sunday's incident, there were five police cars and several ambulance vehicles stationed outside the hotel. Forensics officers carried out an investigation.

A guest at the hotel said they were told a section of the hotel was closed off.