Judge compares hotelier to Basil Fawlty after ‘dump guest house’ conviction
A hotelier has been likened to Basil Fawlty by a judge after using misleading pictures to advertise an “absolute dump” of a guest house.
John Dixon Hart, 60, posted misleading photos of his accommodation, located near Beverley Minster in East Yorkshire, on hotel websites and claimed it was four-star.
Hull Crown Court heard a litany of complaints made by customers including the “musty” smells, “shabby, awful, and unclean” rooms, “stained” and “gruesome” bedding, security worries and rude and “unwelcoming” behaviour from Hart.
The judge said he “was absolutely staggered” that there were any guests whatsoever and told Hart “to run this guest house as it should be and not as Basil Fawlty”.
The court heard how guests arrived at the Georgian townhouse to find the reception desk empty, rooms filthy – and received a barrage of abuse from Hart when they complained.
One woman said she had been called a “c---” by Hart, while in another of his “extremely unwelcoming” exchanges, he “called some lady he had never met a f---ing lech and told her she was a sponger”, Judge Mark Bury said.
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, revealed that trading standards officers were bombarded with complaints during 2021 and 2022 about the “tatty and run-down” guest house, Minster Garth in Keldgate, which was advertised on Expedia, Booking.com and other sites.
She said one woman was concerned that a door would not shut properly and a fire alarm was not working, while a couple had to go into town and buy cleaning supplies for their room because it was so dirty.
She said the guest house had failed to maintain the “minimum standards required of hygiene, health and safety, customer service and overall presentation.
Hart told the court his customers were only charged £40 per night for a double room, the cheapest in the area, but expected “the world”.
“They’d had a night with heating and light and I told them to sling their hook. I gave arrogant responses,” he said.
He admitted that he had been less than polite to guests and said he blamed his drinking for some of his behaviour.
“In the evening, I was in the habit of drinking quite a few vodka and cokes and that worsened my behaviour towards guests,” he said.
“We have got 12 or 13 rooms and, if people are all turning up at the same time and demanding attention, it can all get a bit fraught,” he added.
Complaints were made to the local Tourist Information Centre and a council investigator declared that even one star would be “flattering” to the guest house.
Hart was jailed in August last year for 22 weeks for public order and harassment offences, including drunkenly abusing a female verger in the grounds of Beverley Minster in front of two young children.
Hart admitted six offences involving misleading commercial practices between June 2021 and March 2022.
He was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence, 20 days of rehabilitation, and ordered to pay £729 compensation to reimburse eight guests who had complained.
In delivering his verdict, Judge Bury said: “It’s a great shame because it’s a good spot and this has huge potential to be a successful business.
“I have heard how you treated guests. I am absolutely staggered you had any. I wouldn’t even have dreamed of staying in a guest house like that.
“The idea is that you get back on your feet and run this guest house as it should be and not as Basil Fawlty. You are charging reasonable rates so people should not expect The Ritz.
“They should expect reasonable facilities and, from you, politeness.”
Judge Bury said it was a “shocking set of circumstances” and told Hart: “Do not go to the off-licence and buy vodka. All I can do is wish you the best of luck with it.”
