A hotelier likened to Basil Fawlty after berating guests who complained about the rooms says ‘he thinks it’s a compliment’ but insists ‘I’m my own person’.
John Dixon Hart, 60, tore into customers like the character, played by John Cleese in the 1970s sitcom, when they complained of ‘shabby, awful and unclean rooms’.
Situated in the shadow of Beverley’s historic Minister church, Mr Hart promised customers luxury stays in his elegant Grade II listed building.
But guests posted reviews online, commenting on its appalling conditions and ‘rude’ boss.
Speaking for the first time since being spared jail for using misleading photos to advertise Minister Garth, in East Yorkshire, he said: ‘I think it’s a compliment because I think he’s a wonderful, hilarious man.
‘But I don’t try to emulate him. I’m my own person, obviously. I can only hold my hands up and apologise in general.’
John Dixon Hart (pictured, at Hull Combined Court in 2023) promised customers ‘four-star’ luxury for stays in his elegant Grade II listed guest house. Instead, the paying public found overnight stays were ruined by a rude ‘Basil Fawlty’ host
The Cast Of The Fawlty Towers. L-R: Prunella Scales, Connie Booth, John Cleese and Andrew Sachs
A judge said the Minster Garth guest house (pictured) was a ‘dump’ and said it didn’t ever merit ‘one star’ because conditions were so appalling
Hull Crown Court heard how he claimed the guesthouse had a four-star rating and misled guests by using slick pictures on Expedia and Booking.com.
One guest said they had found bloodstained sheets, mouse droppings in a drawer, missing bathroom tiles and mouldy shower curtains.
Hart was handed a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting six charges relating to misleading commercial practices on Friday.
A guest last month wrote ‘the bedding hasn’t been changed, black old towels that haven’t been changed’ and described the owner as a ‘horrible gentleman’ who ‘wants to just argue.’
Amar A wrote: ‘This has to be the worst place I have ever stopped in. The owners are rude… the rooms are freezing cold I would not recommend this awful place to anyone.
‘It’s not a four star hotel at all, it’s not even a half a star. Don’t stop here it’s an awful place to be in.’
Pictures show a smashed window and rips in bedding at the guest house in Beverley, East Yorkshire
The back garden of the Grade II listed guest house is reported to have been a mess
The court heard Hart used an expletive to describe one woman and was rude in telephone calls
Visitors complained of ‘shabby’ unclean rooms, ‘stained’ and ‘gruesome’ bedding, ‘musty and tobacco smells’, mouse droppings in a drawer and dead insects (pictured: a room at the guest house)
One guest gave up booking after a phone call to the guesthouse. ‘Was told the man didn’t need the hassle of us booking over the phone, what an absolutely rude human being. I will not I repeat be staying in this disgusting establishment. Please do not book.’
Judge Mark Barry said he had chosen not to send him to prison so he could have another chance of running his hotel ‘not like Basil Fawlty would’.
Mr Hart said added: ‘I think the complainant in the case – although they have their valid reasons for putting in the complaint – they are not at all indicative of the general standards of the guest house.
‘It’s true, I should have been more on top of things, but with my own personal problems as well, I didn’t do what I ought to have been doing.
‘But intrinsically, I’m a decent and honest person and I don’t rip people off. And if someone turns up and they’ve genuinely got a problem, I’ll refund their money.’
East Riding Council had launched an investigation into Minster Garth during a nine-month period between 2021 and 2022, the court was told.
During this time, a number of guests who stayed at the residence complained both about the state of the rooms and Hart’s conduct towards them.
The court heard how the B&B was described during this period as ‘tatty and rundown’, ‘shabby’ and ‘an absolute dump’, with unkempt grounds and poor security.
Guests also found mounds of issues with the cleanliness of the room and said Hart was ‘extremely unwelcoming’ towards them – branding one a ‘sponger’.
The guest house has received a series of one-star reviews on the site TripAdvisor
An investigating council officer who later found the false adverts told the court that even a one-star rating would have ‘flattered’ the establishment.
Hart said he had not always kept track of where had advertised the hotel and thought some of the reviews were unfair, as people ‘exaggerate’ stories on social media.
Hart said one guest complained about finding a slug in their bed linen which he claims is ‘implausible’ and felt they were trying to make ‘trouble’.
He said: ‘As far as I’m aware, slugs aren’t able to climb up onto a bed.
‘I think somebody’s just found a slug outside or whatever and put it onto a bed and taken a photo.’
Hart also admitted that mice droppings may have been found in a draw in one of his guestrooms, but said it was normal to find such rodents in old properties.
He added: ‘The judge mentioned mouse droppings at the bottom of a draw.
‘In retrospect, it probably wasn’t wise, but I said, ‘Probably, your honour, if you go home, you’ll find mouse droppings in your own draw’.
Hart said he hoped to turn the fortunes of the hotel around in the future and was implementing new measures to improve its quality.