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Hotel chain investigates claims by gay couple
A hotel chain is investigating claims by a gay couple that they were denied a double room despite pre-booking.
Nick Hurley, 22, and his boyfriend Gavin Maclean, 28, from Manchester claim they were repeatedly asked "are you sure you don’t want single beds?" before being told there were no doubles left when checking into the Thistle City Barbican hotel in east London.
But the hotel says that the booking had ‘dropped from the system’ and that when the couple arrived to check-in after the theatre at 11.30pm on Saturday, there were no doubles left.
Mr Hurley said he was upset by the treatment and later tweeted: ""Homophobic receptionist at @ThistleHotels refused me & my bf our pre-booked double room. Insisted we take a "family" room w/ separate beds."
Thistle Hotels immediately apologised to the couple but added it was a misunderstanding and that it didn’t believe a member of staff had been deliberately homophobic.
The couple has also been offered a free weekend away at any Thistle hotel which they have refused.
Spokesman for the hotel chain, Chris King said an email has been sent across the company reiterating that the hotel chain does not tolerate homophobia and it is also carrying out further training in the hotel itself.
He added: "We are in the process of talking to staff about what happened.
"We have apologised as obviously the couple felt there was an issue and we are sorry about that.
"It does feel like the whole hotel group is being called homophobic."
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