A blind man who was turned away from his booking at a London hotel because of his guide dog has said it was “so humiliating”.
BBC Online reported the experience of John Hardy and his wife, and said they had successfully sued the company for discrimination.
The couple, who come from Bridgwater in Somerset, told the media they checked into The Brompton Hotel in South Kensington, but were refused entry when the receptionist notice their dog as they set off to walk up to their room.
Mr Hardy, a campaigner raising awareness of accessibility for blind people, told BBC Somerset the incident happened about 18 months ago when he was in London for a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
He said: “When we arrived at 7pm we checked in. As I turned away from the reception desk with our keys the receptionist noticed then my guide dog Sidney, who was in full harness. He said ‘you can’t bring that dog in here’.
“We ended up being kicked out of the hotel at 7.30 in the evening with nowhere to go.”
Mr Hardy said he explained to the receptionist that Sidney was a guide dog and “not a pet”, but said the man was “demanding the keys back”.
He added that he told the staff member it was illegal to refuse him access and rang the police to make a record of the incident.
He said: “This happens not just to me, but to many other people who travel with a guide dog.”
The BBC reported that Mr Hardy subsequently sued the hotel for disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 and found out he had won the ruling earlier this month.
The BBC added it was awaiting a response from the hotel. It quoted figures from Guide Dogs UK indicating that three-quarters of guide dog owners say they have experienced an access refusal in the past.
