Silicon Valley's Laid Back Style Is No Fit For London's Ritz Carlton

When you think of a typical Silicon Valley dress code, the image of hoodies, tees and sneakers may easily come to mind. On the other hand, when you think of a Ritz Carlton hotel in London, England, the image of high-end business suits and super-expensive ties for the gentleman and cocktail dresses for the ladies clearly comes to the mind's forefront.

So, what happens when a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, programmer, venture capitalist and blogger schedules a business meeting at the Ritz London? Naturally, he is denied service.

Sometimes, Appearances Do Matter

According to CNN Money, Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator had a scheduled business meeting at the hotel's upscale bar. He was told by a man in the hotel that he couldn't enter because he was wearing sports shoes, which violate the hotel's dress code policy.

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Y Combinator has funded over 1,000 startups since 2006, and the combined valuation of companies under its umbrella is over $65 billion.

Mutually Handled With Dignity And Respect

Altman merely brushed off the situation and then crossed the street to conduct the business meeting at a coffee store. He also admitted to CNN that the situation was handled "very politely," and he respects the hotel's dress code policy, but at the same time, he just wants to wear "cool shoes."

In fact, the hotel reached out to Altman via Twitter asking to discuss the situation in greater detail to which he responded that he is "not upset" as "the gentlemen was super polite about it."