An investigation has been launched in Bavaria after an Israeli family attempting to reserve a hotel room in southern Germany was met with a stark anti-Jewish rejection notice via an online reservation platform, Ynet reported.
The incident unfolded when the travelers attempted to secure accommodations at the Zum Hirschen hotel, located near the town of Lam near the Czech border. Upon submission, the prospective guests received an email explicitly stating: “Sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel."
According to the Ynet report, the targeted travelers promptly submitted a formal grievance to Booking.com and escalated the matter to Israel’s consulate general in Munich.
In response to the alert, Booking.com deleted the hotel's listing from its reservation directory, completely blocking users from booking rooms at the establishment through the site.
Consular investigators who looked into the matter revealed that the hospitality business initially rejected any wrongdoing. However, representatives later conceded that the discriminatory digital message had indeed been generated and transmitted on behalf of the hotel by a staff member.
Addressing the disturbing development on the social media platform X, Talya Lador, Israel’s consul general in Munich, drew comparisons to Europe's darkest decade.
“Are we back in the 1930s? I am glad Booking removed this hotel from its platform," Lador wrote.
The case has been formally transferred to the commissioner for combating antisemitism within Bavaria’s Justice Ministry. Legal experts are currently reviewing the documentation to ascertain whether the employee's actions constitute a breach of German law sufficient to warrant formal prosecution. At this juncture, authorities have not confirmed whether official judicial proceedings will be brought against the establishment or the individual worker involved.