A London hotel threw out a blind woman accused of lying about her assistance dog.
The BBC reports that staff at a London Premier Inn asked Angharad Paget-Jones “for ‘proof’ her dog Tudor was a registered guide dog.”
After providing proof, Paget-Jones and Tudor still had to vacate the premises. In the UK, it is illegal to refuse service to disabled people with guide dogs. This is part of the 2010 Equality Act to curb discrimination in public spaces.
Paget-Jones is a 29-year-old data analyst and disability rights campaigner. In dismay, she relayed how she and her dog were “forced to leave the Premier Inn at Enfield, in the middle of the night.”
Hotel Staff Disrespected the Rights of Disabled People
According to her recount of the event on Twitter, Paget-Jones describes how, at first, her check-in to the hotel was seamless. Tudor, her guide dog, came in wearing his official fluorescent harness. Hotel staff then confirmed that Paget-Jones was blind and the dog was there to assist her.
However, when her boyfriend took Tudor out for a walk later that evening, Paget-Jones says trouble arose. At first, the hotel staff informed Jones’ partner that the hotel didn’t allow dogs. After clarifying the situation, staff members asked for proof. Paget-Jones recounted, “My boyfriend said he was a guide dog, and said he was sure that I would be able to provide ID for him and I would be able to get this to them in the morning.”
Paget-Jones continued, “They wouldn’t drop it and came up to the room and ended up disturbing me as I was half asleep. No one was telling me what was going on, I asked for a manager to help resolve the situation.”
Disturbingly, hotel staff continued to harass the couple. Staff requested a security guard to their room in the middle of the night to escort them from the property. After going above and beyond to provide proof of Tudor’s credibility, the staff simply said the dog’s credentials “looked fake.”
Eventually, Paget-Jones’ partner called the police, who simply told the couple they’d have to leave.
In response to the situation, a hotel spokesperson says the company is reaching out to Paget-Jones to rectify the situation. As of this moment, however, Paget-Jones says she is pursuing legal action against Premier Inn.
