‘Real life Basil Fawlty’ ran B&B with ‘terrible bedding’ and was rude to guests

A B&B landlord called “the real Basil Fawlty” misleadingly advertised his hotel as either four or three stars, a court heard. John Dixon Hart’s guest house in Beverley was described by guests as an “absolute dump”, “smelly and rotten”, reeking of tobacco and with unclean rooms and “horrible” bedding.

However, the advertising suggested that people would receive an altogether higher standard of luxury. Misleading information, including images, was used on three websites, Expedia, LateRooms and Booking.com, about the hostel, Hull Crown Court heard.

Mr Dixon Hart was described as rude and “unwelcoming” and an unstaffed reception meant phone calls were never answered. HullLive reported that it was said to have fallen short of the “required minimum standards of hygiene, health and safety, customer service and general presentation” at the “run-down and run-down” guest house. Hart, 60, of Minster Garth, Keldgate, Beverley, admitted six offenses involving deceptive trading practices between June 1, 2021 and March 22, 2022. He and the guest house were due to face a 10-day trial , but Hart admitted six offences, involving unfair trade practices and deceptive practices. The six charges against Beverley Guest House Ltd were dropped.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said Hart was the sole manager of the guest house, known as Minster Garth. Trading standards officers for East Riding of Yorkshire Council received complaints in 2021 and 2022 from guests about the standard of service they received at the guesthouse.

One woman complained: “It was absolute horror. The door handle was missing.” The carpets were “stripped” and the bed linen was “stained”. A shower curtain was hanging off and the bathroom tiles were missing. Mouse droppings were seen in a drawer and there were dead insects in the window areas.

Paying guests have provided shocking photos of the ordeal they suffered. Judge Mark Bury said: “Quite appalling photographs of some bed linen. The shower areas leave a lot to be desired.”

A guest complained about the poor state of hygiene in her room. “Given the smell and how awful the room was, they had no choice but to go into town and buy the cleaning products themselves,” Miss Stuart-Lofthouse said. “It was a bin with all the waste from the previous occupants.”

There were complaints about Hart’s “extremely unwelcoming” rudeness to guests. Judge Bury said: “It’s a wonder he had any. He wasn’t particularly welcoming.” Hart called a woman a “c***” and was rude in phone calls. “He called a lady he had never met on the letch and told her he was a sponger,” Judge Bury said.

Hart had advertised the guest house as four or three star. A council investigator decided even one star would be “flattering”. Judge Bury said: “He admitted his assessment was somewhat optimistic. Mr Hart was not very keen on giving people refunds.”

Hart admitted he was less than polite to guests and said: “In the evenings I used to drink quite a bit of vodka and coke and that made my behavior with guests worse. We have 12 or 13 rooms, and if people all come in at the same time and demand attention, it can get a little tense.”

Hart said: “It’s the price. We are always the cheapest in Beverley.” Hart told the judge. “Last year we redecorated the whole place and decent carpeting. I change the bed linen regularly.”

Judge Bury replied: “Washing it would help.” Hart had been sentenced in August last year to 22 weeks for public order and harassment offences. An update on Hart’s progress since then was “the most impressive” the judge had ever seen. “He has given up drinking apart from the occasional glass of wine,” Judge Bury said.

Hart received a nine-month suspended prison sentence and 20 days of rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay compensation of £729 to reimburse eight guests who complained.

Judge Bury told him: “Sometimes I think you should be called Basil Fawlty” – but Hart insisted people want to stay at the guest house because they want to meet him.