Human Rights in the Hospitality Industry

"Human Rights in the Hospitality Industry" is a publication of the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission. It was written to help individuals, employers, service providers and policy makers understand their rights and responsibilities under Alberta Human Rights law.

According to the Alberta Human Rights & Citizenship Commission, an accommodation provider can refuse to rent a room to a guests, but only on certain grounds:

"Refusing to Rent Hotel Rooms Based on Protected Characteristics

In the hotel industry, prohibited discrimination typically happens when a hotel operator refuses to rent a room based on a person’s race, colour, ancestry, family or marital status, disability or source of income. Some examples of prohibited discrimination experienced by guests renting or attempting to rent hotel rooms are:

• refusing to rent based on the pretext that the hotel is fully occupied;
• requiring hotel guests, based on their protected characteristics (such as race, colour, ancestry, or place of origin), to pay a higher deposit than other guests;
• quoting a higher room rate based on the guest’s protected characteristics;
• refusing to rent to prospective guests, based on their sexual orientation—for example, a bed and breakfast operator refusing to rent to a same sex couple;
• refusing to rent to a prospective guest, based on his or her source of income—for example, refusing to rent to persons who receive social assistance; and,
• requiring a guest to vacate a hotel room on the assumption that he or she was responsible for a disturbance in the hotel, based on his or her protected characteristics.

Hotel operators can refuse to rent rooms to persons in order to maintain the safety of their customers and staff, as well as to protect hotel property from damage. But hotel operators may only do so based on their experience with the individual guest, and not on the basis of the guest’s protected characteristics. For example, a hotel operator can refuse to provide service to a guest who previously damaged a hotel room, who previously left the hotel without paying for the room, who displays violent behaviour, or who harasses staff or other customers. Hotel operators may not refuse to rent a room based on a person’s perceived relationship to another person or group, as defined by a protected characteristic. For example, it is illegal discrimination for a hotel operator to refuse to rent a room based on the violent reputation of the guest’s brother, or based on the hotel operator’s experience with persons who come from a particular part of the world."

For more information, visit www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca, and read the Hotel Association of Canada's brief on Renting to Minors.