Father, son denied Noida hotel booking over 'Bengal-Bangladesh' confusion in Kolkata

A father and his teenage son from Kolkata were allegedly refused accommodation at a hotel in Noida after the staff insisted that West Bengal was "the same" as Bangladesh, cancelling their booking on the spot.

According to a Mint report, the incident occurred on Tuesday at Meera Eternity hotel in Sector 44. The 14-year-old boy, a skater, had travelled with his father from Newtown, Kolkata, to take part in a skating championship in the city.

The father, an IT professional, told Mint that he had booked the room through OYO for a two-night stay. However, upon arrival, the receptionist informed him the booking was being cancelled, claiming that local police had instructed hotels not to host guests from Bangladesh, Punjab, or Jammu & Kashmir until 15 August due to security concerns.

"I told them we are from West Bengal, not Bangladesh. But the receptionist insisted it was the same thing and refused to accommodate us," the father said.

He added that repeated calls to OYO went unanswered before a customer care executive finally assured him that his payment would be refunded within 7–10 days. 

"I had no choice but to check into another hotel in Sector 49, far from the arena," he said, noting that he had chosen the Sector 44 property for its proximity to the skating rink where registrations were set to begin early the next morning.

In a statement to Mint, OYO apologised for the incident and confirmed that the hotel had been delisted from its platform the same day. 

"OYO has neither received nor issued any directive to hotels to impose such restrictions. We do not endorse any form of discrimination," the company said, adding that an internal inquiry had been launched.

Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Yamuna Prasad denied any such blanket order. 

"Hotels are told to check the ID and visa documents of people from Bangladesh, but there is no directive to disallow even Bangladeshi residents if they have proper papers," he said.