Human rights body fines Antalya hotel for sexism
ANTALYA
Türkiye’s Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) has fined a hotel in the southern city of Antalya’s Alanya district 141,934 Turkish Liras for canceling a reservation based on gender, rendering the move as “discrimination.”
A 28-year-old resident from the southern city of Adana, identified by the initials M.E.L., booked a vacation with his male cousin at a hotel in the city through the hotel’s official website.
However, a few days later, the hotel contacted him, stating that his reservation was canceled because the number of male guests in the hotel would be too high at the time of their stay.
M.E.L. had planned his vacation, obtained leave from work and purchased flight tickets after confirming his booking. However, the unexpected cancellation left him with financial and emotional distress.
Citing financial harm and feelings of discrimination, M.E.L. submitted a complaint to the human rights body. After reviewing the case, TİHEK ruled that the hotel had violated anti-discrimination laws and fined the business accordingly.
According to the man’s lawyer, Senar Furkan Başak, his client was treated unfairly with a sexist approach.
"My client booked his stay and paid the required fee. He later called the hotel's call center to confirm that everything was in order and they assured him there was no problem. However, a few days later, the hotel canceled his reservation. He suffered financial losses due to wasted flight tickets and vacation leave, but the hotel refused to compensate him,” Başak stated.
Criticizing the hotel's stance, Başak pointed out that such restrictions are reminiscent of "no entry without a female companion" policies seen in some nightclubs.
"Unfortunately, many hotels still follow similar discriminatory practices. This particular hotel acted like a nightclub enforcing a ‘no single men’ rule. However, such an approach is unacceptable under the law," he said.
