You can't both fight for freedom and deny the freedom to run your business as you see fit, as long as those people are not selected on the basis of protected states, like race or religion, and certain standards are observed.

If the hotel management claims that they have had previous problems with service members I have to take it at face value. I have lived on and near military bases and yes, servicemen can get together and cause both disruptions and lots of damage. Often leaving without paying for the damage.

In the US it is common for hotels around major military bases to photocopy the military ID offered and have the MPs and base administrative officer on speed-dial. A system is set up to, maintain civility, document damage, get it compensated for and extract money and met out justice to the servicemen responsible. This is one of the only reasons many hotels around bases will take in the military. They know they are pretty well covered.

Historically service members were not always welcome at hotels in the US. In part because of their partying and rough behavior but also because, until the mid-70s, military pay at the lower grades was quite poor. This was one of the the reason behind the USO. It was set up to make sure servicemen made transport connections, got fed, and had a place to sleep as they traveled.

The reason that most bases had low-cost on-base housing, low-cost on-base shopping and favorably priced services for service members and their families was to compensate for their poor pay. This also served to limit friction with the civilian population near the base.

Perhaps their is no similar system in place for the Brits. If you were a hotel owner and had lost money because servicemen had wrecked rooms you would start to take note. If it happens repeatedly it isn't unreasonable to ban the group causing the problems. You can't expect a business owner to continue to rent rooms to any group he will lose money losing on.

Also military personnel are not automatically "heroes". They are pretty much what they were before they went into service. Most are about as decent as anyone else. But the punks are probably still punks. The bullies, bullies. Service can in time mellow and knock some of the rough edges off a personality to their benefit but they don't automatically or immediately become heroes just because they put on a uniform.

Most are, on average, at least as good human beings as the average civilian. They get credit for their service but so do policemen, firemen, teachers, and anyone else who goes out of their way to serve their society and nation.

A thought goes to a story about a garbageman who noticed a long term customer hadn't put out her trash. He thinks this is odd and, on his own time, he drives out to the house. Unable to raise anyone inside with the doorbell he looks into a window and sees the elderly lady on the floor. He calls 911, breaks down the door and does his best to help her until the ambulance arrived. She had fallen and been unable to get help, food or water for three days. In my book he is something of a hero. Without expecting any award or compensation he went out of his way to check on someone he could have ignored.

A large black man he looks every bit a gang-banger. Exactly the sort many people might not trust or rent to.

There are heroic figures all around. It isn't just those in the military. Perhaps if those in England who are giving the hotel owner such a hard time would open their houses to servicemen they wouldn't need to worry about finding a place to sleep. Problem solved.