Travel site drops hotel that called Israeli guests 'responsible for genocide'

Hotel Garni Ongaro in Italy told group they were not welcome and urged them to cancel their stay

An Italian hotel has been removed from Booking.com after sending a discriminatory message to Israeli guests. The note, sent by Hotel Garni Ongaro on 12 November, accused Israelis of being “responsible for genocide” and stated they were not welcome at the hotel. It offered free cancellation for their reservation.

The message quickly went viral on Israeli social media, sparking outrage. Booking.com condemned the act, stating: “We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” and immediately delisted the hotel.

Hotel owner Patrick Ongaro has since deleted the hotel’s social media accounts and issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter). Ongaro stated he opposes all forms of violence and denied being antisemitic. He acknowledged his message, translated via Google, caused unintended offence and offered to host the Israeli couple as an apology.

Despite this, reactions to Ongaro’s statement have been mixed, ranging from support to condemnation. Meanwhile, Tripadvisor continues to list the three-star hotel but added a disclaimer warning users to research recent media coverage before booking.