Nick Burchill has been called “the worst hotel guest ever.”

It isn’t because he left a suitcase filled with pepperoni in a hotel room in Canada in 2001.

It’s because, as Mr. Burchill tells it, he left it next to an open window and about 40 sea gulls invaded the room, drawn by the smell of the cured meat.

The ensuing chaos — and most likely the cleanup bill — got Mr. Burchill barred for life from the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia, according to him and the hotel.

His Facebook post about the strange saga and his plea for a “pardon” from the hotel last month unleashed an outpouring of appreciation online, and ruminations on forgiveness.