German hotel apologizes for "no Jews allowed" message amid fake booking concerns

A family from Israel was told, “sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel” when attempting to book a room in a town in southern Germany. The incendiary rejection triggered uproar, with the hotel offering an apology and citing a wave of fake reservations.

The message sent by Hotel Zum Hirschen, Bavaria, was shared by Talya Lador, Israel’s Consul General in southern Germany, who wondered on X on Tuesday, “Are we back in the 1930s?” The diplomat was referring to the infamous Nazi party’s policies that had stripped Jews of civil rights and property before later resorting to genocide.

The family also filed a complaint with Booking.com, which removed the property from its platform, and lodged a formal petition with the Bavarian Justice Ministry’s commissioner for combating antisemitism, according to several media reports.

Hotel Zum Hirschen – an establishment with more than 100 years of history – issued an apology, writing on its front page that it “would like to make it unequivocally clear that we condemn all forms of discrimination,” stressing that “the claim that certain groups are not welcome here is incorrect and does not reflect the facts.”

In a separate apology letter sent to the office of the Bavarian state premier, the hotel said it had been struggling with fraudulent bookings and phishing attempts, and had wrongly assumed the Israeli family’s request was fake. “It is extremely important to us that you understand that this remark was not directed at people of the Jewish faith, but was made out of frustration at the numerous fake bookings,” the letter stated. It also offered the Israeli family a free one-week stay to “prove” it does not discriminate.

Dr. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, took note of the apology, but said that “it remains shocking that someone would not only think this way, but also put it in writing and send it.” He added that he expects that this “dehumanizing” incident will be “examined for possible criminal consequences.”

According to several media reports, local prosecutors are investigating the case on suspicion of incitement to hatred. Germany’s criminal code bans incitement against people based on their religious or ethnic background and carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. It is not yet clear whether the matter will go to trial.

Antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in Europe and elsewhere in recent years amid Israel’s war in Gaza. While Berlin has remained highly supportive of Israel, a 2025 YouGov poll indicated that 62% of German voters believe that Israeli actions in the Palestinian enclave constituted genocide.

Germany’s stance on Israel and the Middle East contributed to a diplomatic setback this week when Berlin failed to win a rotating seat on the UN Security Council in a secret ballot.