London hotel to employ 'sexy blondes in mini skirts'

Amia Ismail, 57, an employee at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in central London, where rooms cost up to 3,500 pounds a night, said he was transferred to another branch. He claimed he was replaced with an attractive 28-year old-woman, according to the Daily Mail.

Egyptian-born Ismail said there were underlying racial reasons for dismissing him after the hotel came under Indian ownership. He said preference was given to Indian staff, who came over on work visas instead.

While working at a branch of the hotel chain, he was told to go to another unit and
"find fault" with older staff and pressure them to leave, a tribunal heard.

"I was told I was going to be transferred because the new hotel needed a new and younger image and they wanted someone younger to run the restaurant," Ismail said.

"I was then aged 48, so I was transferred to the Vanderbilt. I was replaced by an attractive young woman of about 28 years old. I told the human resources director it was not right."

Ismail said he witnessed further incidents showing age discrimination by the hotel chain.
"On one occasion the general manager asked me what I thought of the food and beverages team and I said they seemed fine. He said he did not like the fact that in my department there were three Philippine ladies who he said were ugly, fat, old and short."

"I remember that (another staff member) asked him what sort of staff he wanted and he (the manager) said he wanted girls who were young, blonde, sexy and with short skirts."

"I was told there were lots of older staff working there and they wanted me to go down and get rid of them. I was told to find fault with them and pressure them so they would leave."

"I did go and work there for about two months, but I did not find any problems with the staff. They were an older set of staff but I thought they were very good."

Ismail, who worked for the company for 18 years before being made redundant in 2009, claimed he and his wife, who also worked in the hotel, were subject to bullying and harassment from senior staff.