A member of staff at the hotel refused to check them in
Callum Donaghey speaks to Sky News following the publication of the Manchester Evening News’ story(Image: Sky News)
M.E.N. readers have reacted in their droves after a man turned away from a Holiday Inn for being homeless spoke out.
Callum Donaghey, 30, came forward as one of the two men who tried to book into the Holiday Inn on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre after the Manchester Evening News reported on the story.
The pair were trying to escape the streets as temperatures plummeted to -6. A member of staff at the hotel refused to check them in – even though their bookings were paid for – because they were homeless. The exchange was caught on camera.
“It made me feel so small… because we’re homeless,” Mr Donaghey told Sky News. “[It] made me feel a bit categorised… gutted.”
“I thought to myself ‘bloody hell, same again’. I was used to it, really. Getting knocked back and knocked back. I was upset about it, thinking ‘I’m going to be out there tonight in -6C’.”
In the video, the staff member says: “It’s not a personal thing”. IHG, which runs the Holiday Inn brand, has since said the decision was ‘not in keeping with policy’ and that the booking should have been honoured.
After being contacted by the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson said: “After speaking with team members, we recognise that this incident is not in keeping with our policy of welcoming all and should have been handled differently. We sincerely apologise to the guests affected and are taking steps internally to strengthen our training.”
Amanda Thompson, from outreach group Two Brews, used Booking.com to pay for two double rooms – with breakfast included – for the two men who she supports when out on the streets of the city. With the sub-zero temperatures outside, she used donations and money from her own pocket for the booking to bring the two men in out of the freezing cold.
The two men were later booked into a nearby Travelodge, which accepted the booking. Readers had their say on the Manchester Evening News’s Facebook page.
Maria Kavanagh said: “Big shout out to the Travel Lodge who took in 6 guys and 4 dogs that night along with this guy. X”
Paul Maher said: “Hard to understand how, if the room had been paid for, how this could happen at all, at least they managed to get somewhere for the night.”
Karen Welsh said: “You should never judge anybody only time you look down on someone is when ur helping them up. Never know what is around the corner.”
Bubbsie James said: “You don’t need formal training to show compassion. On one of the coldest nights, two individuals were left without accommodation and forced to sleep outside in severe conditions.
“Thankfully, another hotel acted with empathy, offering support without judgment. Had they not done so, the consequences could have been far more serious. Compassion and basic humanity should never be optional.”
Jon Hammer said: “Out of order. I worked in a homeless hostel and I was homeless myself. Sometimes the difference between life and death is the cardboard underneath you. Refusing someone a paid room could be deadly in this weather.”
Migs Robinson said: “Kicking a man when he’s down on his luck, how absolutely horrible is that. Especially when a good samaritan had stepped in to help.”
Eileen Robinson said: “Total disrespect, and discrimination. It’s appalling how our homeless are treated. They don’t get a nice cosy hotel to stay in, they have to stay on the streets. If they are very lucky they might find a hostel, but a lot of those have been closed. It’s disgraceful!”