"Reservation canceled due to 'extra male'! The hotel was fined."

17.03.2025 13:50

Two cousins living in Adana made a reservation through the website of a hotel in Alanya, Antalya for their vacation. A few days later, they were called by the hotel and informed that their reservation was canceled due to the majority of male guests at the facility. The young people then applied to the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK). TİHEK imposed an administrative fine of 141,934 Turkish Lira on the hotel for violating the prohibition of discrimination.

Here is the translated HTML content with the text and the `title` and `alt` attributes of the `img` tag translated into English:



```html

M.E.L., who lives in Adana and is planning a vacation with her male cousin, made a reservation through the hotel’s website in Alanya. A few days later, M.E.L. was contacted by hotel officials and informed that they would not be able to stay at the facility due to the majority of male guests, and that the reservation was canceled. M.E.L., who was preparing to go to Alanya after taking leave from work and purchasing plane tickets, applied to TİHEK, claiming to have suffered financial and moral damages. TİHEK, which evaluated the application, decided that the hotel violated the prohibition of discrimination and imposed an administrative fine of 141,934 lira on the establishment.

REQUESTED COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES

Lawyer Senar Furkan Başak, stating that her client was treated with a sexist approach, said, "My client made a reservation through the hotel’s official website to vacation in Alanya with her cousin. After paying the fee, she contacted the hotel’s call center to ask if there were any issues. She was told there was no problem. Following this, she took leave from work and purchased plane tickets. However, a few days later, the hotel contacted my client and informed her that two men were not allowed to stay at the hotel and canceled the reservation. My client reached out to the hotel again to address her grievances. She requested compensation for the wasted plane ticket, leave days, and other expenses. However, the hotel took no steps in this regard," she stated.

Lawyer Başak, stating that they applied to TİHEK due to the grievance, said, "The institution decided that the hotel clearly violated the prohibition of discrimination stated in Law No. 6701 and imposed an administrative fine of 141,934 lira on the establishment. This is clearly contrary to the principle of equality in the European Convention on Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey. While two women can stay at the same hotel, depriving two men of this right solely because they are male is a clear case of gender discrimination," she expressed.

"NO ENTRY WITHOUT A WOMAN" UNDERSTANDING

Lawyer Başak stated that the hotel approached the situation with an entertainment venue mentality, saying, "Unfortunately, similar practices continue in many hotels today. The hotel acted with the understanding of 'No entry without a woman' seen in some entertainment venues. However, this approach is unacceptable in the eyes of the law. This decision is of precedent nature. We hope that such discriminatory practices come to an end. Unfortunately, vacationing for men in Antalya has become quite limited," she said.