The Workplace Relations Commission found that a hotel discriminated against a Traveller by refusing him access to its restaurant because of his community membership. It ordered the hotel to pay him €3,000 compensation. The decision was dated 14 December 2017.
The man said a doorman told him Travellers were not allowed in, and that a manager also refused him entry. The hotel said lunch was reserved for residents and people with bookings on Mother’s Day, and that other Travellers had been served.
The adjudication officer accepted the man’s account as credible. The hotel provided no direct evidence from staff who witnessed the incident. The officer found that his Traveller community membership was the reason for the refusal and that the hotel was responsible for the discrimination, despite a change in ownership. The WRC said the public nature of the refusal made it humiliating and ordered €3,000 compensation.