OXFORDSHIRE chef Raymond Blanc has settled a court case brought by wealthy American guests following a $100,000 (£53,500) burglary from their room at his luxury hotel.

Stephen and Linda Donaldson claimed the restaurateur treated them in an "unconscionable and cavalier" manner after the break-in during their stay at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire in March 2005.

Cash, jewellery and passports were stolen from their room in the raid but, despite police recovering $40,000 (£21,450) worth of the valuables, the Donaldsons say the hotel's parent company sent a cheque for just £100 in compensation for the remainder.

Their solicitors said this week that the case against Blanc Restaurants Ltd had been settled out of court for the full amount claimed, with the settlement read in the High Court.

Le Manoir said its insurers assumed liability for the case, which could have been settled much earlier had the Donaldsons provided the appropriate information.

Mr Donaldson said: "While the break-in was unfortunate, my wife and I understand that sometimes these things happen.

"However, what was distressing was the turnabout in attitude from Raymond Blanc and his staff. Whilst at their establishment, the staff and Mr Blanc were all very helpful and supportive and we were not anticipating any problems.

"M Blanc encouraged us to provide his insurance company with a list of stolen items at our earliest convenience. After doing so, we were understandably upset to receive a letter from their parent company offering just $185 in compensation.

"Having spent upwards of $100,000 over the past ten years staying at Le Manoir we mistakenly considered ourselves valued customers."

The Florida couple brought the case when Le Manoir's parent company offered the £100 ($185), claiming protection under the 1956 Hotel Proprietors Act to limit their liability.

Their solicitor Simon Fitzpatrick, from Boodle Hatfield, said: "The hotel tried to rely on the 1956 Hotel Proprietors Act which limits a hotel's liability for loss, damage or theft from a hotel room to just £50 for one item or £100 for multiple items on correct display of the notice stipulated by the Act."

He added guests should not assume belongings are covered by the hotel's insurance policies, even if they are locked in a safe.

The claim alleged Le Manoir failed to fulfil its contractual duty to use reasonable care and skill in providing hotel accommodation, including the preservation of the safety of their guests and property during their stay, had breached their duty to provide for the safety and security of their guests, and had failed to comply with the requirements of the Hotel Proprietors Act 1956.

Mr Donaldson, who chairs an international tax planning company, added: "Offering us a settlement in full at the last possible moment as we were leaving our hotel for the Royal Court was unsatisfying to all parties.

"For our part, while we received full payment for the jewellery and much of our legal expense, our costs were unnecessarily high since M Blanc forced us to spend more than a year seeking repayment. This has effectively left us out of pocket making it impossible to actually replace all the lost jewellery.

"As for M Blanc, his method of dealing with this problem means we will not stay at Le Manoir again. Our travel agency is dissatisfied over our treatment and will never send any clients there in the future; and the friends that we have referred there in the past will not visit again.

"By treating us in an unconscionable and cavalier manner, M Blanc's settlement not only cost him twice as much as if he had replaced the jewellery immediately, but the additional collateral damage he and his establishment has suffered was completely avoidable."

M Blanc, chef patron of the two Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel in Great Milton, was given the AA's Chefs' Chef Of The Year Award 2005, while Le Manoir was voted best hotel in Britain in the Conde Nast Traveler 2004 Readers' Choice Awards.

In a statement, a spokesman for the hotel said it was "disappointed" at the "attack" by the couple, adding: "Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons strongly refutes any suggestion that its guests, Mr and Mrs Donaldson, were treated in 'an unconscionable and cavalier manner' when attempting to claim compensation as a result of a burglary from their guest room in May 2005.

"By their own admission, Mr and Mrs Donaldson were treated in a sympathetic and supportive manner by Raymond Blanc and staff at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons when the incident occurred. Raymond Blanc and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons were then and remain sincerely sorry that this incident occurred.

"Mr and Mrs Donaldson were asked to submit a full list of stolen items so that the hotel's insurers could be provided with all relevant information.

"As Mr and Mrs Donaldson declined to provide various aspects of this information, the claim was denied. They then decided to sue the company."