Booking.com removes properties from website after the owner refuses to accept Jewish customers

Two Israelis had their Bed & Breakfast (B&B) reservation canceled on Booking.com since the owner of the property insisted that he would not let the location to Jews, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, two Israelis were asked by the owner of a B&B establishment in Sjenica (Serbia) where they are from, when he learned they were from Israel, he quickly wrote to them, “Sorry, Jews are not welcome in our apartment, please cancel your reservation, thank you.”

The organization Btsalmo (In His Image) - an organization that claims to work to protect human rights and stop injustice against people, and Jews in particular - fought the decision of the B&B owner.

Btsalmo sent a letter to Booking.com and demanded all properties of the Serbian B&B be removed from the site.

Combatting antisemitism

In the letter, the CEO of Btsalmo organization Shay Glick noted Booking.com’s policy regarding discrimination and hate, which the website prohibited, including antisemitic comments made to customers.

The website responded to the letter by removing the relevant properties, due to the owner’s violation of the company’s code of conduct.

"The situation is extremely serious and must not be overlooked. I am glad that Booking.com understood the severity of the matter and removed from its website properties owned by the owner," said Glick after Booking.com removed the owner’s properties from their website.

Glick then added, "Antisemitism is a global plague, the entire world needs to unite in combating it."

"We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and have immediately removed the property from our platform," Booking.com told The Jerusalem Post.