The Workplace Relations Commission found that Labarre Ltd T/A Hotel Savoy Limerick indirectly discriminated against Thomas Gammell, a member of the Traveller Community, by requiring a credit card at check-in. The WRC awarded him €1,000 compensation and ordered the hotel to allow alternative reasonable security methods if it reintroduces the policy.
The decision, dated 13 November 2023, concerned Gammell and his wife being refused accommodation on their wedding night in December 2021 after they offered a debit card or cash deposit instead of a credit card. The hotel said the policy helped manage the risk of unpaid bills and damage.
The adjudication officer concluded that the neutral rule particularly disadvantaged Travellers and that the hotel had not shown a credit-card-only requirement was necessary, given alternatives such as a debit-card preauthorisation or a reasonable cash deposit. The officer found no direct discrimination, but found indirect discrimination because the policy lacked objective justification. Two other complaints were withdrawn at the hearing.