Turkish hotel won’t let two men share a room but will give straight couples ‘tantra sofas’
Bodrum Beach, in Bodrum, Turkey. (LightRocket via Getty/ SOPA Images/ Tunahan Turhan)
Holiday resorts and hotels in Turkey have been banning men from staying without female company, in widespread policies that discriminate against gay men.
The issue was revealed by travel site One Mile at a Time, after writer Ben Schlappig was alerted to the issue by a reader.
The reader was told by a the Lujo Hotel in Bodrum, Turkey, that his booking for two men to stay in one room was not allowed.
When he enquired about the reason, he was told it was because men simply party too hard when there are no women around.
However, if the hotel is against partying, its management has a strange way of showing it.
The hotel in Turkey claims men party too hard, but provides straight couples with ‘tantra sofas’ and party terraces
On the hotel’s website it states after going clubbing you are free to “continue partying at your own terrace and bathtub” in your room, that a “Tantra Sofa at your room enables you to try sensual positions to take your love life to a whole new level”, and that they are more than happy for you to hire a pole dancer to come and perform in your room.
When Schlappig got in touch to verify the policy, the Lujo hotel told him that it “would love the opportunity to welcome [him] to [his] personal journey into the world of art and joy”, but that “unfortunately, we don’t accept two men staying in the same room”.
Bodrum is a hotspot for Russian tourists and ex-pats, and the Russian tour operator Pegas Touristik has a list of hotels and resorts with similar policies across Turkey.
The list has currently been taken down to be updated, but Schlappig reported seeing “dozens and dozens” of establishments on the list, indicating that the practice is fairly common.
Although it is hard to ascertain what the motivation behind the rule is, it inevitably discriminates against gay couples who want to share a room.
Unfortunately, there are no laws in Turkey that protect LGBT+ people from discrimination in any area, including public accommodations, employment, education and healthcare.
