Chinese lion on the back of his hand Swiss hotel rejects applicant because of tattoo

A hotel specialist is invited to a job interview at a four-star hotel. A short time later, the interview is canceled. The reason: a tattoo on the back of his hand.

Despite his degree from the hotel management school in Lausanne and his professional experience in five-star hotels, a young hotel manager's job search is a disaster.

The reason: a tattoo of an Asian lion on the back of his hand. "It's shocking and unfair," the man from Vaud told20 Minutes.

Hotel canceled job interview again

The young man was looking for a new job when he contacted a four-star hotel in Montreux VD. He was invited to an interview by email. "For reasons of transparency, I spontaneously mentioned my tattoo, and then everything went wrong," says the young man. The hotel then immediately canceled the interview.

The man from Vaud has a hard time dealing with the hotel's decision. Especially because he had worked in five-star hotels such as the Royal Plaza and the Four Seasons in Geneva and his tattoos had never been a problem there.

Very high fluctuation in the industry

The hotel specialist also refers to other tourist regions: "In Verbier VS, where standards are very high, you see tattooed waitresses everywhere," he tells 20 Minutes. Rejecting qualified candidates because of a tattoo would be counterproductive in the hotel industry, as staff turnover is so high.

The hotel did not wish to comment when asked by "20 Minutes".

The industry association Hotellerie Suisse is "fundamentally open" to a progressive approach to tattoos. Spokeswoman Karin Sieber explained to 20 Minutes: "We are seeing much greater openness from employers in the sector today than we did a few years ago."

Nevertheless, every company is free to handle such issues as it sees fit, which leads to major differences in practices. "Factors such as the concept or positioning of a company and the target groups it is aiming for play a role," says Sieber.