The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed an anonymised complainant’s discrimination complaint against Rochestown Lodge Hotel after finding that the housing assistance ground did not cover a short hotel booking. The decision, dated 24 July 2023, found the complaint misconceived and dismissed it under section 22 of the Equal Status Acts.
The complainant said the hotel refused to accept payment through a Dublin City Council credit card for emergency accommodation while she was homeless. The hotel argued the ground concerned longer-term housing, not an ordinary booking for a few days. The adjudicator concluded that the protection addressed accommodation meeting a longer-term housing need and did not apply to the short stay. The decision noted that hotels are not specifically excluded from the ground, but found it did not apply on these facts.