Holiday Inn apologises after turning away two homeless men in freezing cold despite Good Samaritan paying for room
The guests were turned away under "company policy" but later accepted by a nearby Travelodge
Two homeless men were sent back onto the streets in freezing temperatures by staff at a Holiday Inn Express despite a Good Samaritan having already paid for their rooms.
Listen to this article
Amanda Thompson, from the outreach group Two Brews, bought two rooms with breakfast included at the branch in Manchester city centre on Monday evening.
But footage posted on the Instagram account 'Madd Manneh,' a member of staff on the desk told the men he knew they were "from the street" and the hotel "doesn't allow" them to stay.
He claimed it was the company's policy before asking them to leave.
Read more: Storm Goretti batters Britain with 99mph gale-force winds as airport halts flights due to heavy snow
He said: "Guys, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not going to be able to check you in. Full truth and transparency, I know that you're from the street and the hotel doesn't allow it.
"It's not a personal thing. We know people, I've been doing the door for a long while. It's the company's policy. It's not mine personally, it's the company's."
The men were eventually accepted at a nearby Travelodge instead.
Ms Thompson, who made the booking out of her own pocket and using donations, described it as "complete discrimination by appearance."
She said: 'I can't wrap my head around how you can go to the desk, with a booking that is paid for, and turned away just for being a rough sleeper.
"They could've been hard-working men and they have been judged on how they look. They just took one look at them and made the decision. It's inhumane."
She added: "They just wanted somewhere warm to stay. I don't understand what the problem was.
"It's ridiculous with everything going on, and it was -6C. It was so cold. It made me so angry. It's so frustrating and I had a wave of emotions."
During the Covid pandemic, the Holiday Inn Express in Gorton area of Manchester was used to house hundreds of homeless people who were later offered support into getting into other accommodation.
A spokesperson for the Holiday Inn Express Manchester CC Oxford Road told the Daily Mail: "After speaking with team members, we recognise that this incident is not in keeping with our policy of welcoming all and should have been handled differently.
"We sincerely apologise to the guests affected and are taking steps internally to strengthen our training."