Bigbearcatcher

CKA1

Can you not just focus on a good night's sleep? If I were a desk clerk and saw two adult men, I could assume many things. Business travelers looking to save a few bucks. Maybe brothers. Perhaps lovers.

I'd chalk it up to policy. Ever go to a restaurant and been told that certain tables are for four people and certain tables for two. Likewise, a clerk might be told that when two people are going to occupy a room it must be designed for two people while when a family with children is sent to a room for parents and children.

Hardly homophobia. I would imagine if I showed up with my girlfriend or maybe a wife I'd probably have the exact same treatment.

I'd also suspect that when two grown men check into a hotel room with the same last name, a person would probably assume they are brothers or father and son, when my parents were short on dough at one point, my dad and I shared hotel rooms on pleasure trips as adults.

Unless you require that you must 100% of the time sleep in close proximity, I don't see any issues. You got space for 2 people, and I am sure you were not denied anything.

My brother and his partner travel all over. They don't need to share a bed in order to enjoy their work or pleasure travel.

IAN-UK

I think the OP conversed with the receptionist in Spanish, but this still looks like a miscommunication.

Families and couples are different concepts and its likely the hotel took it upon itself to allocate individuals travelling together to twim-bedded rooms, saving the rooms equipped with a double bed + sofa bed to families.

The reservation team shouldn't override a booked bed preference, so that would have been a bad move: but there's no evidence it was done with any malicious intent to keep two men in separate beds.

The intransigence of the reception agent is puzzling, and its pleasing the hotel manager was quick to offer a remedy to the mismatch between room booked and room allocated. I'm sure the manager will ensure the receptionist gets appropriate training in social and communication skills.

Just a pity the OP seemed intent on suffering his victimhood: surely better to be gracious, accept an apology, enjoy the double bed and get on with your holiday.



Honestly, it seems unlikely that a hotel or indeed an individual receptionist would seek to promote an outdated (and illegal) moral code on the Costa del Sol.

The_Bouncer

This is absolutely egregious behaviour and totally unacceptable in the 21st century. I am surprised that this has happened in Spain where, at least in my experience, a more enlightened mentality tends to prevail.

OP, you need to take this forward to IHG at the very highest level possible. They have absolutely no right whatsoever to say that you are "not a family".

AJA_

I think this reflects badly on IHG and the HIX Malaga in particular. That said I don't understand why the OP didn't accept the room change when offered it by the hotel manager.

I can see OP was clearly upset and the manager didn't really seem.to accept that the receptionist was in the wrong. But the manager did offer OP the room he'd booked. In turning it down OP absolved the hotel of any further responsibility.

alanw

For those asking why I declined to change rooms: the offer came at 1030PM, after we were already unpacked, and had an uber waiting to take us to dinner. It wasn't a big deal at the outset, other than being faced with two tiny beds and wanting something more comfortable.

The GM offered an explanation that seems plausible. The correct way to handle this would have been to say, "I'm sorry we don't have any more double rooms". Instead the woman at the front desk chose to say, "those rooms are for families and you are not a family (three times)," making it clear that availability or not, they would not give me the room type I had booked based on the person I was traveling with.

As for the surprising number of people trying to project some kind of fake victimhood on me, well, how nice for you that you don't know what it's like to be discriminated against. Victim? Hardly. I don't use IHG Rewards, and haven't asked for any compensation, nor do I intend to. At the very least this hotel has a serious training issue. At worst they have someone at their front desk who is way out of line. Either way it should be fixed ASAP.

The_Bouncer

I agree that it was probably a mistake on the OP's part to decline the room switch.
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However, this does not in any way "absolve the hotel of any further responsibility".

The fact remains that the OP and his husband were disgracefully treated and people need to be held to account for this.

EDIT: Posts crossed. OP's reason for not being further messed around is fully understandable.

craigthemif

Hetero, homo, trans, pan... it really doesn't matter for PT Flyer's point. Those HIX doubles are tiny. Me and the missus always take the two twin rooms at a Spanish HIX.

The_Bouncer

This is your personal preference. The OP and his spouse had their personal preference, which was denied as a direct result of discrimination.

The fact that others may prefer what they were given in return is irrelevant. They booked a certain room type and were told they couldn't have it because they were - in the sole judgement of a complete stranger - "not a family". I fail to see how any reasonable person can find this acceptable.

GeezerCouple

That's absolutely FINE *IF* that is what you prefer and ask for!
Terrific; the way it should be.

This couple REQUESTED A DOUBLE, *NOT* two twins.

It IS that simple.

(...)
And they HAD reserved a double; they didn't request one at the last minute, only to find none were left. They were TOLD it was "not for them"!

GC

craigthemif

(...) But FWIW, when I don't get the room type I booked I don't scream and shout discrimination.

Poor communication... undoubtedly. Staff requires more training... unquestioned. (and is generally true of almost every HIX I've stayed at)

However, instead of jumping to pitchforks, maybe just maybe one should consider the language barrier for ideal communication of the matter and maybe just maybe that HIX rooms are small and those rooms with sofa beds maybe just maybe are supposed to be held back if possible for guests with children or 3+ adults, without making any judgment at all about whether two men or two women or two whatevers are there alone or with their children or whatever.

IAN-UK

I think maybe the shout of homophobia probably triggered a reaction that seems unsympathetic to the OP's handling of the affair.

The case(s) of bed and breakfast places prosecuted for wilfully and explicitly refusing to rent double rooms on the basis of the gender composition of a couple is one thing; but the experience we are discussing has every sign of being a horrible mix-up in the unit of a large corporate structure where success is predicated on being inclusive.......

Sure it was unacceptable. The argument is whether the action was a mistake exacerbated by misunderstandings in communication, or was an action fuelled by institutional homophobia: a serious charge.

FLYGVA

Fellow flyertalkers,

a gentle reminder to discuss the topic in the first post. Please do not become personal or discuss other points of views.

I have in the past hours edited a number of post and deleted personal parts. You might or might not agree with the point of view of others in this thread.

The discussion in this thread is about a Holiday Inn Express Hotel not honouring the booked bed type due to guest with the same gender in a relationship sharing the room. The hotel tells the guest, that in this regard only twins are appropriate and claims, that a double bed is for families only.
This could be seen as kind of discrimination.

Thank you very much

FLYGVA
co-moderator IHG Forum

craigthemif

Perhaps it's better to shut the thread down then?

It is very easy to define "family" as one or two adults + children, irrespective of the gender of the adults. If we want to discuss discrimination against the childless, then fair enough, but I still see way more mis-communication than blatant homophobia in this incident.

FLYGVA

Well, closing this thread is - at least not now - not the way we prefer to deal with this thread. But it will depend on the future.

And it is a kind of miscommunication. But related to a very specific situation.

If - and I have no reason to doubt that - the reason for not granting one bed but give twins instead is that it were due to two person of the same gender sharing the room, it need to be mentioned. At least to me (as heterosexual) it is obvious, that is was not alone a matter of not honouring the booked bed type. In so far, the term homophobia is a strong term and I would not gave chosen it myself. But it is exactly what came to my mind as well. And therefore the term is as of now okay with us.

FLYGVA
co-moderator IHG Forum