The Workplace Relations Commission found that Kilkenny House Hotel discriminated against Pamela McKeogh on the grounds of disability and ordered it to pay her €5,000 compensation. The decision was dated 27 October 2022.
McKeogh's partner said the hotel told him she could not bring her guide dog after he booked a room for a one-night stay. The hotel said the offer he used did not allow pets and that its designated rooms for guests with particular needs were unavailable that night.
The adjudicator found the hotel's message was clear that the guide dog could not come, and accepted the account that the manager said his own dogs would bark if the guide dog was in the hotel. The adjudicator also found that the separate booking process for limited disability rooms created a barrier to using the online special offer, even though McKeogh did not need one of those rooms. The WRC concluded that she received less favourable treatment and that the hotel failed to provide the accommodation needed for her stay.