A German hotel owner is being accused of discrimination after she decided to post a disclaimer which tells potential guests that the “interior is not suitable for people with a bodyweight of more than 130 kilograms.”
Angelika Hargesheimer sparked a discussion regarding the legal bounds of weight-based discrimination after she decided to place her own limits on potential guests of Beachhotel Sahlenburg in Cuxhaven, Germany.
“For reasons of liability, we would like to point out that the interior is not suitable for people with a body weight of more than 130 kg,” reads the disclaimer on the hotel website.
According to Hargesheimer, she wants her business to be thought of as a “designer hotel,” and therefore has “classic” pieces of furniture – which apparently cannot be reinforced.
Furthermore, she claimed, a number of possibly overweight guests struggled to get into the showers, and some individuals of a similar build also complained of the dining room chairs being uncomfortable.
However, the hotel owner’s comments appeared to expose an additional motivation for her move.
Natalie Rosenke, chairwoman of the Society Against Weight Discrimination, has expressed via social media that the hotel is “deliberately and specifically” excluding “fat people,” according to a translated tweet. She went on to assert that legislation should be put into place to protect individuals from such a practice.
“Legal protection against weight discrimination is overdue!” she declared in an interview with German tabloid Bild.
“Therefore, it should be difficult for those affected to take legal action against provisions such as in the hotel you described, with reference to the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG).”
Hargesheimer stated that since she chooses to “stick to her diet,” others should be able to do the same.
Luckily, her “designer hotel” isn’t the only spot at which to stay in the beach town.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
