John Dixon Hart faced complaints from a guest about ‘urine stains’ on the toilet seat
A hotelier compared to Basil Fawlty has hit back at a guest’s online rant about the state of his £55-a-night guest house, blaming his ‘difficult wife’.
John Dixon Hart, who runs the four-star Minster Garth in Beverley, East Yorkshire, faced complaints from a guest about ‘urine stains’ on the toilet seat.
Tony Joyce, who stayed at the hotel, was also unimpressed by mould and mildew on the shower door, a constantly running cistern and an empty shampoo bottle.
But Mr Hart claimed the Facebook post about his hotel was only written because the guest has ‘probably got quite a difficult wife who demands perfection’.
The hotel, which is near Beverley Minster, has a TripAdvisor average rating of just two stars – and Mr Hart has previously been the focus of criticism.
In the past, he has been accused of leaving blood on walls, mouse droppings on beds and even hanging sexist signs – and he has now come under fire again.
Complaints have been made about Minster Garth Guest House in Beverley, East Yorkshire
Guest Tony Joyce claimed no one was present to welcome him into the guest house in Beverley
In his Facebook post Mr Joyce said: ‘If you think that urine stains on the toilet, gaping holes in the floor either side of a bath, a toilet constantly running, mould and mildew all over the shower louvre doors, a filthy shower with the previous clients empty shampoo bottle left in it, pictures sat on stairs instead of hung on walls, paint tins and sheets left on the stairs, fire exit signs sat on the bottom stairs and absolutely woeful customer service from the owner are not issues, please don’t share.’
Mr Joyce claimed no one was present to welcome him into the guest house and said he had to call Mr Hart, who was enjoying a day off at Beverley Racecourse.
Mr Joyce said that after getting through to the owner and seeing the room, he called back to tell him that he was unimpressed with the accommodation.
But Mr Hart said the only issues with the hotel during his guest’s stay was ‘the bath hadn’t been installed’ and that some signs had not been rehung on the walls.
In the past, Mr Dixon has been accused of leaving blood on walls, mouse droppings on beds
Mr Dixon has even been accused of hanging sexist signs outside the hotel in Beverley
He added the £55 charge for the room was ‘a very impressive thing’, especially on a day of Beverley Races.
He said: ‘He caused a big stink so I upgraded him without charge. They only paid £55 for a room. I upgraded him to a room on the top floor with a four poster bed.
‘He’s probably got quite a difficult wife who demands perfection and can’t see the wood for the trees.’
But the guest claimed Mr Hart told him not to call back with such ‘trivial complaints’ and hung up the phone.
Mr Hart has been compared to Basil Fawlty, the terrible hotel owner played by John Cleese
Mr Hart accepted that his tone had been short when speaking to his guest and that the bath should have been in working order, hence why he upgraded Mr Joyce.
Mr Hart said: ‘You get one in 1,000 guests who stay and kick up a fuss. There are a few signs like directions to rooms that are still on the floor because I haven’t had time to put them up yet.
‘They just don’t know which side their bread is buttered on. At £55 it was a very impressive thing on a races night. I could sell them 10 times over. We’re always full.’
Mr Hart said a plumber will fix the bath and maintained that his facilities offered good value. He said his rooms are ‘constantly being maintained and looked after’.