Salzburg hotel faces discrimination allegations over headscarf ban

A hotel in Salzburg asked a woman wearing a headscarf to leave its breakfast room, prompting allegations of discrimination, ORF reported. The Cool Mama hotel in the Itzling district says its restaurant rules prohibit all head coverings, regardless of the reason for wearing them.

The Muslim guest wanted to keep her headscarf on while having breakfast. Witnesses described the incident as “discrimination on the highest level”.

In a written statement, the hotel said it had introduced dress rules for the restaurant following repeated experiences with guests wearing hoodies, caps, hats, crowns and veils at events such as hen parties. The rules, it said, were displayed online, during booking and at the hotel.

“The viral claim that this rule specifically targets religious head coverings, particularly Muslim headscarves, is therefore completely unfounded,” the hotel said. “The rules apply equally to all guests.”

Whether such a rule is legally permissible remains disputed. Benjamin Kneihs, a constitutional law expert at the University of Salzburg, said the case involved several legal issues on which different views were possible, making the outcome of any court proceedings impossible to predict with certainty.

He said the ban could already amount to discrimination because the aesthetic reason for prohibiting items such as shorts and sandals was relatively clear, while “in the case of the headscarf, one cannot think of much apart from religion”. No such case has yet been brought before a court in Austria.

The hotel stressed that the dress rules apply only in the restaurant, not throughout the hotel. It also said its bookings remained strong despite the controversy.