|
This mail is about some genuine query regarding visiting a place by a couple. I am 24 year old, an employee of a private company & my girlfriend of same age studying MSc. in Calcutta University . We are planning to visit Darjeeling this Puja Vacation & stay Darjeeling Tourist Lodge Annex Building. We both have our every kind of ID proofs. Is there any legal issue if we are sharing a single room with our own choice ?
As far I am concerned and researched about these legal issues regarding unmarried couple sharing a room is not legally offended till they are chosen by the couple with their own interests & they are having all sort of proofs to prove their real identification. As you are very much attached of this tourism business I am requesting you to clarify my doubt so that we can further book our accommodation & make our vacation a peaceful one without any harassment. Waiting for your reply
Souvik Chaterjee (June 2014)
 |
|
Hi,
If you are looking for legal advice, you should consult a legal expert.
But in practice, there are chances that some hotels in Darjeeling may not allow unmarried couples to check in. This is more of a cultural issue in conservative places. But if you book rooms in advance instead of trying to walk in, then there are good chances that you may not be asked any questions, unless two of you look scared like chickens. Note that foreigners mostly travel with their partners or girl friends and are never denied rooms. That's mainly because they book rooms in advance and stay confident. Having said that, you are better off in a private hotel in such situation rather than in government run hotels like Darjeeling Tourist Lodge. After all govt run hotels are not driven by room occupancy or profits, and therefore may not care about last minute cancellations.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com, June 2014)
|
|
First of all thank you very much Mr. Raj for your suggestion, I have already consulted with my advocate & according to him there is no legal offence from Supreme Court Rule if we both are providing clear identification proof. He also said, to book a private hotel may be more hectic & out of logic than to book a govt. one because private hotels are driven by their own rules & regulations but govt. hotels are regularized to follow govt. rules , so they cannot just cancel or reject our arrival if we booked it in advance - in case if any kind of sudden misbehaviour we face without proper optional treatment we can legally stand to raise our point.
I also talked with Deputy Manager of West Bengal Tourism Mr. A. Ghosh, he agreed with my point & told us to show proper I.D. card to avoid any kind of safety & security issue which is always a valid point to us .
After all Mr. Raj, this is not an issue of being scared or kind of managing some illegal thing, we know we are not doing something illegal - just to be assured & play safely I did it thoroughly, because after a long period of legal support these kind of relationships or living habits are just not allowed because of people's perception & conservative mind set up.
I know somehow it will appear very crazy to you, but to us , to an age group of 20-30s this is a serious problem we are facing regularly. I appreciate your opinion & your patience to bear my bullshits, but yeah that means a lot - I hope you feel :) (though I donno ur actual age)
Souvik Chaterjee (June 2014)
|
|
Good that you are doing a detailed research on this before your travel. That will certainly make you more confident. But whether Govt or private hotels would be better in this regard is a matter of opinion and I would not conclude only by an advocate's advice on this. While they are the right persons to take legal perspectives, but on matters that are often driven my human mindset and not logic, they are often wrong. I have personally had several experiences in earlier days to be saying this. But one thing for sure, unfortunately there is no one perfect choice here.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com, June 2014)
|
|
Dear Mr. Raj, I have seen some old conversation between you and Mr. Shouvik who's posted regarding same issue. U helped a lot that time to Mr. Shouvik. May I know if he got a suitable stay for that trip or any suggestions for me. I want to visit Darjeeling by coming month.
Santanu Mondal (November 2016)
|
|
He did not get back to me with his feedback. Not sure if he actually made the visit. Do let me know about your experience. The situation is same as it was earlier. Go with proper photo ID cards, you should be okay. Several married couples also have different surnames when both decide to retain their maiden names. Do they ever get questioned? Certainly no one carries a marriage certificate :)
Having said that, Souvik's findings of Supreme Court verdict etc would be of no use while checking in because it all depends on the hotel's own policy which is often unwritten, and guided more by local culture. That would only be useful to file a lawsuit, and who wants to do that?
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com, November 2016)
|
|
|
