Being ‘singled’ out is something unmarried women are often forced to deal with. Apart from the social stigma that single women have to navigate on an everyday basis, discrimination and sexism often rears its ugly head when it comes to finding accommodation in India.
On Saturday, Nupur Saraswat, a 22-year-old artist from Singapore who has been travelling around India, found herself without a roof over her head in Hyderabad. Despite having a confirmed reservation, Hotel Deccan at Erragada denied her lodging on the grounds that “single women travellers are not allowed to stay in this hotel”.
Left rattled and stranded by the hotel’s ‘policy’, Nupur took to Facebook to narrate the incident.
So, I am standing outside a hotel in Hyderabad which didn’t let me stay because they realized I was a “single lady” even after confirming the online booking. Yup, massive bag in hand, gross from the journey – just standing outside the hotel. Somehow they decided I was safer on the streets than in the hotel. Funny huh, how patriarchy works?
The young artist had made her reservation through Goibibo, an online hotels aggregator. Speaking to TNM, Nupur says:
What kind of policy is that? Now a woman has to depend on someone for their travels? When I asked the manager, he simply said, it is for my own safety, who are they to decide? Moreover, I blame, Goibibo, as they should have been more responsible. What if I landed here at 11 pm?
Calling out the hotel for its blatant discrimination, she observes, “As a woman I have all the right to travel alone. This policy is sexist.” Pointing out that more women are traveling alone, she says that websites like Goibibo should filter hotels that discriminate against single women.
She argues:
They should provide a filter where women can see the hotels which have such policies.
After her post on Facebook was shared by 1500 people, the Goibibo team reached out to Nupur and apologised for the inconvenience that was caused.
The artist further said:
They have also assured that they will introduce a filter option for the hotels, they even said that either the company will not partner with such hotels or they will alert the customer at the time of booking.
Nupur has also been offered a complimentary stay at a different hotel for the duration of her stay in Hyderabad. Thanking those who came out in her support on social media, she wrote on Facebook:
You guys did this. You made a corporation listen, you took us a miniscule step closer to making solo travel a little easier for women in India. But of course, there are also those who have tried to silence this by asking ‘why are you making a fuss if it’s clearly stated in the policy?’
Nupur responded:
“Well I am making a fuss because I am not ready to settle. I am not ready to live in the fear of my safety anymore. I am not ready to have an entire system push me around until I ‘find a man to travel with’. I AM NOT READY TO BE CHAPERONED.”
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