Travelodge removes all copies of the Bible from rooms to reflect 'increasingly multicultural UK'
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Version 0 of 1. The Travelodge has reportedly removed all copies of the Bible from rooms in its 500 hotels across the country, a decision it has apaprently taken to ensure it does not discriminate against other religions. The chain said its decision reflected the increasingly multi-cultural nature of the UK. Guests can still request a copy of the Gideon Society Bible, which are being stored behind reception instead. A Travelodge spokesman told the Daily Mail the change was "because of diversity". He said: "With the country being increasingly multicultural, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to just have the Bible because there are people of other religions." Another spokesperson added: "In order not to discriminate against any religion, customers who would like a Bible can pick a copy from any one of Travelodge’s 500 hotel reception desks across the country, whilst staying at the hotel." The hotel company said it has not yet received any customer feedback on the decision. However, a Church of England spokesman condemned the decision to remove Bibles from rooms. A spokesperson said: “It seems both tragic and bizarre that hotels would remove the word of God for the sake of ergonomic design, economic incentive or a spurious definition of the word “diversity”." Other hotel chains, including Premier Inn, are retaining copies of the Bible at hotels. A Premier Inn spokesman said: “Bibles are available in Premier Inn rooms. “On the rare occasion that a customer does not wish to have a Bible in their room, they can request this to be removed ahead of their stay by contacting the hotel directly.” |