The British hotel chain Travelodge is investigating how “Free Palestine” messages appeared on the TV screens in the rooms of two visibly Jewish men.
On Wednesday, a visibly Jewish man found “Free Palestine” on the TV in his Travelodge room in London Manor House.
The video of the incident went viral on social media, and soon after, a friend of his, also visibly Jewish and checking into the same hotel, reported the same message on the TV in his room.
The first man also said he had been met with hostility from a staff member at the front desk, who refused to look at him or properly serve him.
“We are taking the report of an antisemitic message that appeared on the TV screen in a room in one of our hotels yesterday afternoon with the utmost seriousness,” Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell said on Thursday.
“We were made aware of this late yesterday and launched an immediate investigation to understand how something like this could have happened.”
“We are urgently investigating to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible and have reported this matter to the police.”
Hotel CEO 'will not tolerate' antisemitism
Boydell added that there is no place in society for antisemitism and “We will not tolerate this in our hotels or in our wider businesses.”
She confirmed that the hotel has spoken with the customer in question and apologized unreservedly.
“We further apologize for any distress or concern caused to the wider Jewish community,” she added.