A woman was left "mortified and embarrassed" by the "diabolical" decision of hotel staff not to let her husband into the restaurant during the Coronation weekend.
Samuel Beckett was turned away from the eatery inside the Lifehouse Spa and Hotel near the Essex coastal town of Frinton-on-Sea, his partner Samantha Hyde told MailOnline.
She claims that the restaurant manager told them Samuel's shoes were inappropriate, adding that the restaurant was mostly empty.
The host suggested the couple could dine alone in their bedroom instead, despite them having forked out £300 for an overnight stay including dinner and breakfast at the hotel.
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The 36-year-old was wearing a pair of £150 designer leather sliders to the restaurant, having left his shoes behind at the couple's home in Rainham, east London.
The couple said they returned back to their home just hours after arriving due to the experience at the retreat, which is set in 12 acres of English Heritage gardens.
Samantha said: "I just can't believe what happened to us - it was diabolical.
"We were told you can't eat your dinner in the restaurant because of your footwear. We weren't allowed to be seen in public. It was so embarrassing.
"We were treated with the most antagonistic behaviour, being belittled, judged and sent quite frankly what felt like threatening emails."
Samantha said she and her partner are "good citizens with respectful jobs" but were treated like they had done something illegal, resulting in the Coronation weekend being ruined for them.
On the hotel's website it states that bathrobes and sportswear are welcome at breakfast and lunch, but not dinner, when the dress code is smart casual.
Hairdresser Samantha claimed that she was told that she could wear her open-toed shoes, but that Samuel's were not acceptable.
The pair had alerted the hotel staff to the fact that they he had forgotten his shoes when they arrived, and were told it shouldn't be a problem, Samantha claimed.
When they later returned to their room having enjoyed a day in their spa they had a message saying their dinner had been moved to 6pm from 7.30pm, as the sliders didn't meet the hotel's dress code, the couple allege.
The interaction led the pair to leave the resort and seek a refund for the night's stay, which they claim was denied. They did receive £52.65 they had spent on lunch back.
Lifehouse Spa and Hotel has been contacted for comment.
