Employees of a hotel in southwestern Turkey were surprised to learn a British tourist whom they had served for years did not forget them before his death.

Charles George Courtney, who used to stay at the hotel in the Kuşadası district in Aydın province every year while on vacation since 1997, established close friendships with the hotel staff.

Courtney received treatment at a hospital in Izmir province after falling ill in 2014.

Hotel porter Taşkın Daştan and his colleagues visited him in the hospital.

After Courtney passed away on an unspecified date this year, his relatives were surprised to find that in his will the main share of his inheritance was to go to Daştan with some smaller bequests to other hotel members.

Daştan admitted he and his colleagues had no idea they were in line to get anything.

He said the first he heard of it was when the hotel was contacted by officials from the U.K. saying they wanted to speak to some members of staff. And he admitted he was floored when he was told about it.

Daştan, who has been working as a bellboy since 1990, said he had known Courtney for many years, and always tried to make him feel welcome and part of the family, as he did with all guests.

Their friendship started in 1997, Daştan told Anadolu Agency (AA), adding that Courtney stayed at the hotel twice a year.

He added that he also knew he was generous, as the older man at one stage had given him some money for his children's education, for which he had been enormously grateful, although he never expected anything else, according to the British daily Mirror.

Courtney was reported to have allocated nearly TL 50,000 ($6,030) to Daştan from his inheritance.

Daştan said Courtney always stayed in Room 401, which had become known as "Charlie's Room" and would always remind staff at the hotel of the British man who went from being a guest to a member of the family.