Trans model accuses Gurugram hotel of discrimination

GURUGRAM: A Delhi-based transgender model has accused the general manager of Park Inn, Gurgaon, of discrimination.

Model Aizya Naaz Joshi (37) said the hotel confirmed booking of 20 rooms for a beauty pageant but later offered six rooms only. However, the general manager of the Gurgaon hotel has refuted the allegations. As of now, no formal complaint has been filed in the case.

Joshi said she had requested 20 rooms in the hotel for an upcoming beauty pageant and the hotel staff affirmed vacancy on those dates. “Three weeks ago, the hotel staff negotiated a sum of Rs 5 lakh for 20 rooms via e-mail. Last week, I visited the hotel for depositing the token amount. I was asked by the sales manager to meet the general manager, Ashok Ganguly. He was extremely impolite. I was made to wait for an hour and then told to visit the hotel again the next day because the booking had to be discussed with the regional sales manager,” she said.

Joshi became the first Indian transsexual to win the title of Ms World Diversity in 2018. She said, “They denied me booking for 20 rooms and offered six rooms in lieu of it, citing pre-booking as an excuse. How am I supposed to keep 35 girls, who will reach the city for the pageant, in six rooms? The hotel did this because they saw I am a transgender person. I am not trying to gain any publicity from this incident. A lot of hotels have reached out to me now.”

When approached for a comment, Ashok Ganguly said, “These allegations are completely wrong. She requested 20 rooms but no amount was deposited. We got other bookings and that is why we could offer her only six rooms. She has been forcing us to confirm 20 rooms.”