A hotel in Salzburg, Austria, is defending its decision to bar two women from using its swimming pool in Muslim-approved swimwear, or burkinis. The establishment says its policy is motivated by hygiene concerns rather than discrimination.
The dispute is now before the Salzburg Administrative Court after the hotel operators appealed fines imposed by the district authority.
Boshra and Jasmina Amasha are two sisters from Upper Austria who booked a short wellness stay at the hotel in Pongau on October 25th last year. They arrived early with the intention of using the pool before hiking. The conflict began at reception when one of the women said she would retrieve her burkini from the car. Staff informed her that burkinis were not permitted, a position later confirmed by management.
In court, the hotel manager stated that women wearing burkinis were not allowed in the pool due to hygiene concerns linked to longer fabric potentially carrying bacteria into the water. She acknowledged there was no scientific evidence supporting this, but said the spa facility had to maintain strict cleanliness standards for its guests. The co-manager also confirmed there was no formal written policy but said long swimwear could affect water hygiene.
The sisters rejected the explanation, saying they were told that comments were made suggesting adaptation to local customs and that other guests objected to burkinis. They described the experience as humiliating and discriminatory. Their lawyer argued that burkinis are made of similar materials to standard swimwear and do not pose additional hygiene risks.
The hotel operators are challenging the penalty, with a written court ruling expected in the coming weeks.
Internationally, similar restrictions have appeared in other regions. In Switzerland, the Geneva Grand Council passed a motion banning burkinis and other full-body swimwear in public pools, introducing stricter dress codes. In Germany, some regions have also introduced limits on bulky swimwear in pools, while in France previous municipal burkini bans at beaches were overturned by the country’s highest administrative court.
