JAIPUR: A Jaipur hotel cancelled the reservation of a Muslim man and a Hindu woman on learning that they were from different religious backgrounds.
According to the couple, the manager of Oyo’s Silver Key hotels said that the hotel did not allow couples of different religions to stay on their property as a matter of policy and in deference to such an instruction from the local police.
The professor said he had booked a room for two at the hotel through an app.
Jaipur Police Commissioner Anand Shrivastava promptly dismissed the hotel’s contention, saying no such police instructions had ever been passed.
“We have not received any complaint from the couple over denial of room on religious considerations,” adding, “There are no police instructions, written or verbal, from the Jaipur police to any hotel on such an issue.”
The young assistant professor from Udaipur said when reported for check in to the pre-booked room in the hotel at 8 am on Saturday, the man at the reception asked for his name and his companion’s name.
Upon hearing their names, he declined accommodation.
When the professor insisted on his room citing that there was no law against people from different religions sharing a room, a man named Govardhan claimed the hotel was merely following police and in-house instructions.
Meanwhile, Oyo said it had initiated an inquiry into the matter and apologised for the incident.
"OYO Hotels & Homes is committed to bringing quality living experiences to our guests from around the world, irrespective of their race, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age, etc.
We do not tolerate any form of discrimination across all our properties and take immediate strict action, which can also lead to the termination of the contract with asset owners. Any such action that is tantamount to discrimination is a serious violation of the basic principles of OYO's work policies.
We have initiated an inquiry into the manager’s actions which resulted in the inconvenience caused to the customer. We sincerely apologize for this unfortunate experience,'' says a statement from an OYO Spokesperson.
The hotel owner, however, refused to speak and switched off his phone when contacted.