A negative review can be devastating to a hotel. Nonetheless, it's never good business to shift blame to the guest.
The owner of the Nelcon Hotel in Blackpool, England is learning that lesson the hard way after telling a dissatisfied guest she comes across as a "nasty piece of work" and should be "put on a diet," according to the Metro.
To make matters worse, owner Ken Evans aired his grievances via text message.
Emily Chance and her husband booked a two-night stay at the budget hotel for $50 last month to celebrate a wedding anniversary. In her Booking.com review, Chance complained of a "horrendous" smell, deteriorating floors and dirty towels, rating the property a dismal 3.8 out of 10.
The review prompted a defensive response from the Nelcon Hotel.
"Can I ask, just what did you expect for what you paid? Most of what you describe I do not recognize as a matter of interest...I think possibly you were expecting a four-star hotel."
Later, Evans lashed out via more personal means.
"For someone who has never been away before you do not come across as nervous in fact you come across as a nasty piece of work who probably should be put on a diet as you must hate everything and everyone," he wrote in a text message to Chance.
Evans later called the review "a pack of lies."
"I don't have a problem with people reviewing us, but what she wrote was a pack of lies," he said, pointing out that the negative review "reduced a female member of staff to tears."
[READMORE]READ MORE: Hotel Guest Climbs Telephone Wire to Avoid Bill[/READMORE]
However, Chance stands by her review, calling it "honest."
"This should not be allowed, it was a little too personal and they had no right making personal digs to paying customers. It is an outrage."
Unsurprisingly, she says she would never recommend the hotel to another guest.
An aggregate of more than a dozen reviews of the Nelcon Hotel on Google rate the property 2.5 out of five stars. The most recent review gives the hotel one star, noting "homeless people wouldn't stay here."
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