Charity boss ‘gutted and angry’ after Hull hotel cancels homeless Christmas booking
- Carl Simpson, who raised money through donations to pay for the rooms, said he was not given a reason for the cancellation
A hotel chain has been heavily criticised after it cancelled a charity booking for 28 homeless people over Christmas.
A fundraiser had paid £1,092 (US$1373) for the rough sleepers to stay in 14 twin rooms at the Britannia Royal hotel in Hull on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Carl Simpson, who raised the money through donations, said he told the hotel when he made the booking that it was a goodwill gesture for homeless people.
He said he was “absolutely gutted and very angry” when he received a call from a hotel manager telling him that the booking had been cancelled. No reason was given, Simpson said.
“I asked for a reason and was told there isn’t one,” Simpson wrote in a Facebook post that has been shared more than 1,000 times. “In my eyes this is nothing more than discrimination, especially after we was [sic] so open about what it was for.”
The hotel, which is part of the Britannia group, said no one was able to comment when contacted by The Guardian on Monday morning.