Woman denied hotel stay in Casablanca sparks internet outrage

A Moroccan woman was allegedly denied access to a hotel in Casablanca this weekend, for having a Casablanca address on her ID.

According to Manal, whose full name was not disclosed for privacy concerns, she was compelled to spend the night at a hotel due to ongoing renovations in her home, but was denied from the Barcelo hotel in Casablanca “for having a local address.”

The receptionist assured her “It’s the law, there’s nothing we can do about it, if you are alone and not accompanied by your husband, brother, or father you don’t have the right to stay in the hotel.”

Despite having strict laws for hotels, including banning them from accommodating unmarried couples in a shared room, no law denying access to single women from any facility is enforced in Morocco.

Hespress EN contacted the Barcelo Casablanca Hotel for comment. The hotel told Hespress EN that “they are surprised at Manal’s claim,” adding this does not align with their establishment values, as they “regularly receive single Moroccan female clients.”

When asked about the existence of a law, regulation, or internal policy enforcing the refusal of Moroccan women with local addresses, the manager said there is no such regulation, but maintains that can’t be the reason for her denial of service.

He added that “we are currently investigating the actual reason for the refusal of service, we have yet to find out if the woman in question was presentable, that she wasn’t intoxicated,” as these are viable reasons for the denial of service.

Only Manal did not try to book her room in person, maintaining to Hespress EN that she “called the hotel, and after they confirmed they have available rooms for the night, immediately denied [her] service upon taking [her] ID number, realizing [she] has a local address.”

Manal was “neither intoxicated nor unpresentable,” rendering the hotel’s argument null.

Manal’s case sparked outrage across social media platforms, with Moroccans clamoring at the “archaic, disrespectful” practice.

Many women shared their own stories of being denied at hotels without male partners, and for seeking hotel rooms in cities on their identification papers.

One commentator said that “this is very prominent in Marrakech, you simply will not get a room as a single woman if you have a Marrakech ID.”

Sonia Terrab, the founder of the Outlaw Movement, spoke to Hespress EN on this case, reflecting the outrage of many Moroccan women in the face of repeated gender discrimination.

Terrab says she is “ fed up with this two-speed Morocco, where despite having laws that protect women in theory, a significant number of laws and practices simultaneously remain, putting them in danger, dismissing them and leaving them with little to no protection.”

The women’s rights activist wonders if this rejection from Barcelo, which has been common practice for hotels in Morocco for years now, isn’t actually putting women in danger.

According to Terrab, this would mean that “a woman who is a victim of domestic violence cannot seek refuge in a hotel.”

In addition to fighting for what some consider “progressive” individual freedoms and advancement of women’s most basic rights to equality, the activist is saddened Moroccan women “have to spend additional energy fighting against patriarchal, archaic, especially unjust practices that make no sense, like what happened to Manal this weekend.”

Manal’s experience is not an isolated incident. The unlawful practice made headlines back in 2014, with then minister of interior, Mohammed Hassad clarifying there is in fact, no such legislation denying Moroccan single women’s access to hotel rooms, regardless of their current addresses and marital status.

Twitter users are now massively reaching out to the newly elected minister of justice, Abdelatif Ouahbi, urging him to tackle this issue.