If you are a couple in India and have ever searched online for ‘couple-friendly hotels near me’ to get yourselves some personal space, you know the number of thoughts which have come across your mind. Most hotels in India are not what one calls ‘couple friendly’, much like our educated society. However, all of the social persecution which couples in India face for engaging in premarital sex is absolutely illegal. There is no law whatsoever which restricts consensual sex between two adults, married or otherwise. So is there any basis at all using which hotels deny couples from renting a room? In this article we, bust this myth and a few others as well.

Myth 1 - Unmarried couples are not allowed to check into a hotel

If you were to go through the description of any cheap hotel in India the most consistent part is that they do not allow unmarried couples. Most hotels also mention this on their websites or on any online room booking platform they are listed under. However, if one were to look at the law of the land, there is not only a single law which justifies the action of the hotel owners, but the law also gives them no right to ask for the marital status of any guest. As long as a guest has valid id-proof they are bound to provide you a room and if they don’t do so they are discriminating against you on grounds of marital status and thereby can be subjected to arrest.

Myth 2 - Police can ‘raid’ your hotel and catch you

This is one of the worst fears that young couples suffer from, and it is partly due to the constant lies of mass media and partly due to police corruption as well. Neither is renting a hotel with your partner a criminal act, nor is engaging into premarital sex. So if the police wanted to bring you in for questioning about either of the two when no crime as such has been committed, they have absolutely no right. On the other hand, if any police personnel go on to try and intimidate a couple by saying things like ‘we will inform your parents’ they are once again stepping outside the law and enforcing shotgun justice.

Myth 3 - Unmarried couples who are not locals are allowed to rent a hotel

Hotels in India which are a little better than the usual lot and has services such as online room booking usually mentions that they are ready to provide rooms to unmarried couples as long as they are not from the same city as the hotel. For example, if you and your partner were to book a hotel in Kolkata, you’d be allowed to do so only if your ids are from elsewhere, such as Bangalore. This once again is discrimination and is an illegal act on the part of the hotel owners.

Myth 4 - Hotels must be booked under the name of the male partner

There is at all no gender specification as to who should and can book a hotel. If two women were to check in to a hotel, the room would be booked under either of their names with the other one being listed as a guest. The same rule applies for any two people who check in to a hotel regardless of gender, marital status, or sexuality.

So next time you use any of those online room booking services and type ‘hotels near me’, know that the law empowers you and protects you. Additionally, you can check out StayUncle’s list of hotels in your city which we guarantee are absolutely couple-friendly.