A guest house boss branded "Basil Fawlty" due to his rudeness to visitors used misleading advertising to claim "awful" rooms were up to either a three or four-star standard.
John Dixon Hart, 60, used dubious information and photos to give a false impression that his "absolute dump" of a guest house was to a higher standard. Guests complained about tobacco and "musty" smells, "shabby" and unclean rooms, "stained" and "gruesome" bedding, security worries as well as Hart's unwelcoming behaviour that earned him comparisons to 70s sitcom character Basil Fawlty - an iconic British comedy figure known for his rudeness to guests.
Hart was compared to 70s sitcom character Basil Fawlty (HullLive/Donna Clifford)Hull Crown Court heard the guest house boss from nearby Beverly, in East Yorkshire, did not have the "minimum standards required of hygiene, health and safety, customer service and overall presentation" at the "tatty and run down" guest house. Misleading advertising, including pictures, was used on three websites, Expedia, Laterooms and Booking.com, according to HullLive.
Hart admitted to six offences involving misleading commercial practices between June 1, 2021, and March 22, 2022. He and the guest house had been due to face a 10-day trial but Hart admitted six of the offences, involving unfair commercial practices and misleading actions. The six charges against Beverley Guest House Ltd were dropped.
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said that Hart was the sole director of the guest house, known as Minster Garth. Trading standards officers for East Riding of Yorkshire Council received complaints during 2021 and 2022 from guests about the standard of service that they had received at the guest house.
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Telephone calls went unanswered and the accommodation had a "shabby interior, according to the complaints. A woman was also concerned that a door catch would not shut properly and that a fire alarm did not work.
A woman complained: "It was an absolute dump. The door handle was missing." Carpets were "threadbare" and bedding was "stained". A shower curtain was hanging off and there were missing bathroom tiles. Mouse droppings were seen in a drawer and there were dead insects in window areas.
Shocking photos were also taken of the guest house. Judge Mark Bury said: "Pretty gruesome photographs of some bedding. Shower areas leave a lot to be desired."
Guests also complained about Hart's "extremely unwelcoming" rudeness. Judge Bury said: "It's a wonder he had any. He wasn't particularly welcoming."
Hart called one woman a "****" and he was rude in telephone calls. "He called some lady he had never met a ******* letch and told her she was a sponger," said Judge Bury.
Guests said Hart was "extremely unwelcoming" (HullLive/Donna Clifford)Judge Bury said: "It's a great shame because it's a good spot and this has huge potential to be a successful business." Hart had advertised the guest house as four-star or three-star.
A council Investigator decided that even one star would be "flattering" to it. Judge Bury said: "He did admit that his rating was somewhat optimistic. Mr Hart wasn't very keen on giving people refunds."
Judge Bury added: "It's your responsibility to make sure that all the advertisements are accurate. How you managed to keep it going, I have no idea. 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."
Hart said: "It's the price. We are always the cheapest in Beverley." He said that he had suffered a "lot of personal stress and upset" at the time after his wife left him. "I wasn't paying attention to the business," he said. He and his wife were now back together and he had made improvements to the guest house, including redecorating and sorting out problems.
"My dream is to let my two boys and stepson carry it forward," said Hart. His sons were aged 10 and eight and his stepson, aged "23 or 24", was already helping out.
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"There have been quite a few more positive reviews recently," said Hart. "I had the whole place redecorated last year and decent carpeting. I regularly replace the bedding."
Judge Bury replied: "Washing it would help." Hart said: "My wife does help. The window frames have been repainted. I don't think there is a broken pane in the whole house and I have done all these things single-handedly.
"A reasonable person would arrive and think: 'This is good value for money'. If you look at the reviews, we are getting some tens and nines and sevens regularly. They are getting a room that they ought to be paying double for. It has the potential to be a gold mine. I am hoping that my sons can take it over. We'll see what happens. I am working hard to that effect."
Hart claimed that he had only a "meagre income" from the guest house because of costs and bills and that he "lost a lot of money last year" but he added: "Because it is such a fantastic building with such fantastic potential, I am desperate to try to find a way around it."
Judge Bury said: "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. More recently, your guests have been much happier. If you continue that, it's like a gold mine, that place. It's in a desirable area in a desirable market town and should attract many guests."
Judge Bury said: "He advertised it initially as a four-star residence. It doesn't merit one star. These guests either didn't stay because it was, in their words, a dump or they made complaints. It's quite disturbing.
"He still charges reasonably modest rates and so people shouldn't expect The Connaught. They should, however, expect basic standards. Minster Garth in Beverley is a potentially lucrative business," said Judge Bury. "It's in a charming spot in a charming market town, so Mr Hart wants to keep it going, hoping to pass it on to his family. He has the opportunity to keep it going but he has to stay off the drink."
Hart was jailed in August last year for 22 weeks over public order and harassment offences. While he was only behind bars for just over a month, he claimed to have made progress since leaving prison.
"There's absolutely no public interest in sending you back there," said Judge Bury. An update on Hart's progress since then was the "most impressive" that the judge had ever seen. "He has given up drinking apart from the occasional glass of wine," said Judge Bury.
Hart was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence and 20 days' rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay £729 compensation to reimburse eight guests who had complained.
"The people who stayed there had genuine grievances and I don't see why they should not be paid," said Judge Bury. It was a "shocking set of circumstances". He 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."
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