William Hanson claims his reservation was cancelled after he phoned with a simple question. (Image: Hotels.com)
An etiquette expert has revealed the astonishing reason he was thrown out of a UK hotel before he had even arrived – after asking what he believed was a simple question.
William Hanson, who has stayed in hundreds of hotels around the world, said he has experienced everything from surprise room upgrades to thoughtful welcome gifts. But one stay at a small independent hotel in southwest England left him completely baffled.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, William said the incident happened when he was due to stay overnight after attending a friend’s wedding.
William Hanson has stayed in hundreds of hotels around the world. (Image: Hotels.com)
A few days before his stay, he realised the hotel required guests to check in before 10pm because it was a small 14-room property.
Although he expected to arrive before the deadline, he decided to phone ahead just in case the wedding overran.
He explained: “It was a small independent hotel in the UK, where I was staying after a friend’s wedding. I suddenly realised a couple of days before that an email said I had to check in before 10pm because it was a tiny 14-room establishment in the southwest.”
William said he asked whether it would be possible to check in over the phone, online or have his room key handed to friends who were already staying at the hotel.
The hotel told him this would not be possible and that he would need to check in in person.
After accepting the explanation, William said he simply mentioned he would be attending a wedding and might arrive later than planned.
However, around 30 minutes later, he received another phone call from the hotel.
William believes staff may have assumed he would return intoxicated because he was attending a wedding.
“What I suspect is that they heard a wedding and thought that some wedding guests return drunk – which wasn’t going to be me,” he said.
He added: “Then they phoned me up half an hour later and said no, ‘On reflection, we actually don’t want you staying with us, we’ve cancelled your reservation.’
“I thought all I was asking was if you could give the room key to my friends who are already staying – it was extraordinary.”
The unexpected cancellation left William scrambling to find somewhere else to stay at short notice after the wedding.
He eventually managed to secure a room at a well-known hotel chain, although he admitted he had been looking forward to supporting an independent business instead.
Despite the experience, William said he still enjoys hotel stays and has partnered with Hotels.com to produce an etiquette guide for guests.
Among his top tips, he advises travellers to treat hotel staff with respect, keep noise to a minimum in corridors, drink responsibly, leave rooms reasonably tidy for housekeeping and behave courteously at breakfast buffets.
He also recommends avoiding smoking in hotel rooms, using kettles for anything other than boiling water, taking items that don’t belong to you or reserving sun loungers for long periods.
William said small acts of courtesy can often result in a more enjoyable stay and, in some cases, even better service or unexpected perks.