A heated exchange in which a hotel manager called a complaining mum "an arrogant b****" has divided opinion - but he insists he had the right to "give as good as he got".

The boss of the Westward Ho! Hotel in Folkestone issued the foul-mouthed insult during a dispute over payment issues, telling the customer: "Karma will get to you in the end".

Folkestone mum Charlee Hann had booked to stay at the Clifton Crescent B&B with her friends, and said she messaged through Booking.com to ask why a payment was pending on her card when she had opted to pay cash on the day.

"I noticed a pending amount of money in my bank account; I queried it as I had selected 'pay at hotel', and explained that myself and my friends wanted to pay cash," she explained.

"It was a misunderstanding on my behalf, but I got an informal and blunt message telling to me to put cash into my account to cover the funds for everyone.

"So I responded and said 'thank you for clearing that up, this confusion could have been avoided if it was explained before hand, better customer service also wouldn’t go amiss'.

"I then received another rude and unprofessional long email in response."

The email, sent by general manager James Green, included the lines: "I really think it would be best if you cancelled, our customer service is clearly not up to the standard that you require.

"I would rather not have you staying here if all you are going to do is complain and make rude remarks.

"My job is hard enough without being insulted."

Mrs Hann then responded: "Well, you clearly have a bee in your bonnet you inpertinent human being, I wouldn't want to stay there now even if you paid me. I hope your day is as unpleasant as you are!"

While she accepts the message "may not have been to some people's taste", she says she was "not going to sit back and let this person insult me".

But she was left shocked when the hotel manager replied with: "I speak as I am spoken to. Karma will get to you in the end, you arrogant B****."

And in a parting shot referring to a hotel often rated the worst in the UK, he added: "I recommend you go to the Grand Burstin, that is where people like you deserve to go."

A post about the experience prompted a fierce debate on social media, with some responses accusing Mrs Hann of delivering the first insult.

However, a number of comments supported her actions, and criticised the hotel for its handling of the situation.

Mrs Hann says she stands by her decisions.

"I personally go by reviews when I book somewhere to stay, and I felt people should be made aware of how the hotel are treating their customers," she said.

"People post enough complaints about having a 'bad curry' and I’m not one to slate a business, but this was totally unacceptable."

When approached by KentOnline, Mr Green defended his response and insisted he "reserved the right to give as good as I get".

"The guest was clearly not happy with the answers that I gave to her questions and demands even though they were clear and concise," he said.

"It was clear to me that she is a needy and entitled individual."

He said he explained his response and made a "perfectly reasonable" suggestion that she cancel her booking if she was unhappy, offering to waive the cancellation fee and checking for availability at nearby hotels.

He continued: "We have had an extremely busy summer with 100% occupancy for the last four months solid.

"The hotel staff have had a lot of stress to deal with but have tried their hardest to keep customers happy. It is only fair that they are treated with respect and it is my job to protect them from arrogant customers like this one.

"She then felt the need to call me an 'impertinent human being' to which I responded in kind. I then followed that up with an explanation of why I responded in kind."

The manager says the hospitality industry has been through "enough pain" due to Covid, and despite a promised new attitude towards staff, "things have returned to the way they were".

He added: "The behaviour of a small minority of customers is frankly disgusting and I, for one, have had enough of it. We are not targets for abuse and we shouldn't have to put up with it.

"My hands are not tied by corporate rules and I reserve the right to give as good as I get.

"If customers don't want to treat us with respect then they are welcome to go elsewhere."

Of the reaction the post has garnered on Facebook, he added: "She chose to take this to a public forum and she has been chastised for doing so, but she only has herself to blame."