William Hanson says he is “relatively horrified” on a daily basis by social faux pas in hotels, and he singled out the habits that bother him most. He said some guests act as if a hotel were less strict than home because it is a commercial setting, and he argues that view leads to rude treatment of staff and messy rooms.
Hanson said, “It’s a transactional proposition, so some people wrongly feel they are entitled to behave in a way that they wouldn’t at home. Whether that’s leaving their room an absolute bomb site or being rude to the staff.” He also said guests can sometimes get upgraded simply by being “a decent human being.”
Hotels.com and William Hanson
The etiquette guide he created for Hotels.com sits behind the remarks, alongside a report that found Britons queue-jumping at breakfast buffets, reserving sunbeds with towels, smoking inside their rooms and washing underthings in kettles. The same study found that Brits rank themselves among the world’s most polite travellers, a contrast Hanson addressed directly.
“We are a tiny, tiny, tiny island nation and one thing that we pride ourselves on is our good manners,” he said. He added that people often behave differently in hotels because the setting feels transactional, even when the same standards should still apply.
William Hanson and hotel staff
Hanson said guests should treat hotel staff with respect and that simple courtesy can change how a stay unfolds. He said staff will go the extra mile when guests remember and use their names, and he said he writes down the names of staff in restaurants and hotels he visits frequently.
He also said Britons can learn from Americans, whom he described as having less resistance to raising problems sooner. In his example of how to complain, he said a guest should say, “Well, actually, this isn’t quite up to par,” or “The towel’s a bit dirty,” instead of letting a problem build.
Basil Fawlty and complaints
Hanson said Brits sometimes lack the confidence to say when a hotel issue is not up to par, while Americans tend to raise the problem earlier. He gave another example: “My room hasn’t been cleaned and it’s now 18:00.” That approach, he said, is better than silence when something is wrong.
He made the comments while starring as Mother Ruth in Titanìque on London's West End. His broader work includes several books on British etiquette, co-hosting Help I Sexted My Boss and The Luxury Podcast, and directing The English Manner in Central London.
