The owner of a hotel and restaurant in Louth has said his policy of refusing people from Dublin is there to protect his customers.
McKevitts Village Hotel in Carlingford got a one-star review on Tripadvisor this week after it refused a couple service because they were from the capital.
The hotel was labelled a “den of ignorance” and the reviewer said they will make certain that no-one they know will visit the business when the COVID crisis is over.
Dublin is under level three coronavirus restrictions meaning people are advised not to leave or visit the county.
Hotel owner Terry McKevitt defended the policy;
"It is not just Dublin as such," he said. "We looked at Donegal too. We decided that to protect our loyal customers and staff, it would be better if we refused service of those areas.
"Our way of looking at it is, we are a tourist destination and these people shouldn’t really be in the area."
He said he stands by the decision and if people don’t want to provide their address to staff, they don’t have to come in.
"It is very annoying as an owner of a business that is trying to do our best in these difficult times to get a one-star review – especially when they didn’t even get to experience any of the services in the building," he said.
"Nobody likes to be refused service, it doesn’t matter where you are, so you can see why people might be annoyed."
