Traveller woman awarded €5,000 over hotel discrimination

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

An unnamed Traveller woman was awarded €5,000 after the Workplace Relations Commission found the hotel discriminated against her under the Equal Status Acts; the decision was dated 6 May 2022.

The WRC heard the complaint on 30 March 2022. It concerned the hotel's handling of her enquiries about wedding reception dates after she attended a wedding showcase on 21 July 2019.

The adjudication officer found no prima facie case based on the events at the showcase, but concluded that the later communications supported a presumption of discrimination. On the balance of probabilities, she found the woman had been denied the opportunity to use the hotel's facilities because she was a member of the Traveller Community.

The officer found the hotel had breached the Equal Status Acts and awarded €5,000 compensation for the effects of the discrimination.