Nupur Saraswat is a 22-year-old NRI from Singapore who travels around India for her shows. On reaching Hotel Deccan Erragadda in Hyderabad on Saturday morning, she was told that despite having made an online booking, she wouldn’t be allowed to stay there.
Why? Because the hotel policy does not allow ‘single ladies’. That’s why!
To be fair to the hotel, one has to respect their policy and if they don’t allow single women, then it’s their call. Whether the policy in itself (which also does not allow ‘locals’) is right or wrong is another discussion. But the question here is that if that’s the case, why did they allow the online booking on the first place?
When Ms Saraswat enquired about the same, all the hotel manager had to say was “Sorry Ma’am, this is hotel policy, you talk to Goibibo.”
Speaking to ScoopWhoop, Ms Saraswat said that Goibobo had reached out to her and along with a verbal apology, they had assured her that they would make a change in their filters so that such a confusion does not happen again.
As of right now, Goibibo has checked her into another hotel in Hyderabad, one that allows ‘single ladies’ to check in.
But after the harrowing episode, Nupur has raised a very valid question on Twitter.
And is this going to deter Nupur from travelling alone in India again?
Hell no!
“My parents are a little more concerned now but I am undeterred. I am a traveling spoken word artist with a show called Two Sanskari Girls. It’s a show that smashes patriarchy – I will not stop until I have taken the show all around the country,” said Nupur, talking to ScoopWhoop.
That’s the spirit, Nupur. The only way to fight patriarchy is to not back down!