Hotels and resorts in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula are refusing to accommodate same-sex couples.
After receiving dozens of complaints on the matter, a Ynet inquiry showed that a majority of local hotels on the peninsula refuse to let same-sex couples vacation on their grounds.
One such place is Reef Oasis Blue Bay Resort & Spa in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh in southern Sinai. When asked whether two men can book a room, the front desk clerk answered: “you have to be husband and wife to stay at the hotel.”
Trying to book a room at Sinai's Pyramisa Beach Resort, our Ynet reporter received a similar answer.
"There are no such cases, sir, at the hotel. I mean, two men like that together. You are not supposed to say such things... If you want to go to a hotel, book a room like a normal person and that's it,'' the receptionist said on the phone.
The apparent ban on same-sex couples in Sinai does not extend to major global hotel chains on the peninsula such as Hilton and Sheraton which allow gay couples to vacation on their premises without question.
Reef Oasis Blue Bay Resort & Spa said in response to a Ynet inquiry: "We are very sorry. The hotel's policy only allows married couples of different sexes and families to stay."
The Pyramisa Beach Resort did not reply to a Ynet request for comment.
First published: 15:29, 10.07.21