'Appalling': Andy Burnham weighs in as Manchester Holiday Inn hotel turns homeless men away in -6C cold snap
Andy Burnham was ‘appalled’ two homeless people were turned away from a city centre Holiday Inn in -6C weather despite paying for rooms.
Charity worker Amanda Thompson booked two double rooms for the Holiday Inn on Oxford Road for the evening of Monday, January 5, when temperatures plummeted to -6C. The two men she booked for were turned away by Holiday Inn staff.
In a video shared on Instagram, a staff member tells the trio: “I’m not going to lie to you, I’m not going to be able to check you in. Full truth and transparency, I know that you’re from the street and the hotel doesn’t allow it.
“It’s not a personal thing. We know people, I’ve been doing the door for a long while. It’s the company’s policy. It’s not mine personally, it’s the company’s.”
Ms Thompson slammed the hotel’s stance, pointing out she paid £200 for the booking, including £50 damage deposit. She said: “It was just complete discrimination by appearance.
“It’s disgusting. We then went back to the Travelodge on Upper Brook Street and they accepted them straight away and were so helpful. We had six or seven people in there who we supported on the Sunday night, and got four dogs in too.
“I can’t wrap my head around how you can go to the desk, with a booking that is paid for, and turned away just for being a rough sleeper. They could’ve been hard working men and they have been judged on how they look. They just took one look at them and made the decision. It’s inhumane.”
Andy Burnham has now weighed in on the row, saying the hotel ‘got it wrong’ and needs to ‘have another look’ at the incident.
“I was pretty appalled to hear that,” he told BBC Radio Manchester on Thursday (January 15).
“I do not blame the staff in Holiday Inn. It’s clearly a corporate policy. I would ask Holiday Inn to review that — services should be available to anybody who needs them.
“I do not think a company like Holiday Inn should dictate who is fit and who it not [to enter]. If anybody’s behaviour is rude or aggressive, the hotel should have the right to kick them out. But if someone needs shelter they should get it if it’s been paid for.”
He went on: “Companies do not have the right to discriminate. Holiday Inn will have to have another look at this. It’s not right. It’s not fair.
If people are abiding by the rules of the hotel, they should be able to use the service Holiday Inn have got this wrong.”
After the incident came to light, a spokesperson for the Oxford Road Holiday Inn said: “After speaking with team members, we recognise that this incident is not in keeping with our policy of welcoming all and should have been handled differently. We sincerely apologise to the guests affected and are taking steps internally to strengthen our training.”