A guest was turned away from their dinner at a luxury hotel because he wasn’t wearing the right kind of shoes, ruining his and his partner’s weekend. Samantha Hyde and her partner had booked a 7:30 pm dinner at the esteemed Lifehouse Spa and Hotel, but ran into an unexpected roadblock at the entrance. The couple, who had paid £300 for an overnight stay including dinner and breakfast, were given two unappealing options: dine alone in an empty restaurant at 6pm or have their food delivered to their room.
Samantha told the online mail: “I just can’t believe what happened to us, it was diabolical.
“They treated us like we were doing something illegal and wrong, it ruined the whole weekend that was meant to be a celebration.”
Hotel staff cited the man’s open sandals as the reason for their refusal. Although Samantha’s partner had informed the receptionist of her shoe situation and she had even called the restaurant to explain, her pleas fell on deaf ears.
“He had a dinner shirt and pants on. I had a dress and a pair of open-toed shoes,” Samantha explained, noting that they were both dressed appropriately except for sandals. Samuel’s shoes were £150 designer leather sliders. He was wearing them because he had forgotten his other shoes.
In response to their outfit, the couple received an email stating that the sliders were not in compliance with the dress code.
They were also told that if they did not agree to dinner by 6:00 pm, their reservation would be canceled entirely.
The hotel’s website had listed a “dressy-casual” dress code for dinner, while bathrobes and sportswear were considered acceptable for breakfast and lunch.
Adding insult to injury, the hotel staff allowed the couple to eat right away, even if they were dressed in bathing suits, but they were not allowed to join the other guests for later seating.
Samantha added: “They treated us with the most antagonistic behaviour, belittling us, judging us and frankly sending us what seemed like threatening emails.
“We are good citizens with respectful jobs and we were treated as if we had been doing something illegal and wrong, it ruined the whole weekend that was meant to be a celebration.”
Ultimately, the couple checked out of the hotel, which refused to refund their overnight stay.
The couple said they felt they were no longer welcome.
Express.co.uk has contacted LifeHouse Spa & Hotel for comment.
They previously told MailOnline they were looking into the matter.