To think hotels are very child unfriendly

Well, quite. The busiest times for the pool I went to were 6-8am and the adults-only lunch slot. Evening was busy but not as busy as those two times.

Try these hotels - super child friendly and really nice, we love them!

https://luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk/

A 4* hotel we used to visit regularly because of its location used to sell family packages in school holidays. It was a nightmare because the family friendly activities took place in the lounge where people were trying to enjoy afternoon tea etc. Probably unaware that they were about to be part of the Easter egg hunt with children climbing all over them.

They sold expensive spa days using the same pool as the families would use.

Not for workers who may be staying in the hotel overnight and working during the day! When I work away from home, I'll usually have a swim first thing in the morning before setting off for work. It's pretty standard really - quiet time before a working day!

My local lesiure centre has lots of for kids (inc soft play, bday parties and dance class). But even they allocate 7-9am for adult swimmers who go before work (including me) and the small teaching pool doesn’t open until 9. Very usual to go swimming before work rather than after work.

I wouldn't get too upset by it OP. My kids are similar. I do my best to be considerate but despite what some posters seem to think children can't always regulate themselves at all times. Before kids I was annoyed by small children. Now my kids annoy other people.

Nobody expects children to self-regulate all the time though.

They expect parents to actively parent their children.

Children charging around a hotel reception lobby isn't an issue of regulation. It's a consequence of parents who enable and reinforce that behaviour.

If a child in a hotel lobby was struggling to self-regulate, the role of the parent is to support them and co-regulate, and if need be have a change of scenery, not let the children charge around.

The fact that you got the call from reception at 07:00 implies they'd been making noise (that the other room could hear) since earlier than that. Personally I would be furious if I got woken up by other people's children even at 07:00 never mind before that, whilst I was on holiday.

And it's perfectly normal to have a slot in the pool that's adults only, I really don't know why you think they should change the rules just because 'there were only 2 people' in the pool at that time - do those two people not have equal right as some unspecified larger number of people, to a child-free swim?

The specific things you've raised and the fact that twice you said 'I know how that sounds' makes me think that really, you actually don't know, you have no clue, as you come across as an incredibly entitled parent and I suspect your children are noisy. Nothing wrong with children being noisy in the appropriate place, but I don't think a nice, not obviously and explicitly family-oriented, hotel is one of those places.

It's also not a playground.
A hotel lobby is not somewhere a child should be running around!

I wouldn't get too upset by it OP. My kids are similar. I do my best to be considerate but despite what some posters seem to think children can't always regulate themselves at all times. Before kids I was annoyed by small children. Now my kids annoy other people. Then when mine are grown I can be annoyed again. It's the circle of life.

Hotel pools are usually open to public too as part of a gym membership.
So early morning and possibly lunch is adult time to swim lengths.
I do think it’s easier if you go with absolute nos eg you don’t ever run in a hotel lobby much easier for a child to understand.

I would have imagined that swimming after work would be more popular, and would also give leisure travellers a chance for a child free swim.

Whilst kids are early risers and could do with a morning swim.

But what do I know!

Oh, and Gleneagles has won a bunch of awards for being one of the top family hotels in the country.

I suppose between the two is

1. how the hotels are marketed, and
2. an element of “live and let live”, ie groups making allowance for each other

But also people do like to shoot down whatever an OP says, regardless of what it is

Yeah I was thinking this, one shriek might wake you but hopefully you'll doze back off, sustained noise will keep you awake, make you get up and call reception! At least they did that rather than banging on the wall or confronting you at the door!

DD would be kept quiet with screen time and I’d never let her ‘run off steam’ in a hotel lobby! Either me or DH would take her outside to do so, you were really rude! Sounds like Air B&Bs would be a better option for your family going forward.

People swimming before work. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Who wants to get up that early if they don’t have children?

I think the hotel was fair enough but that does seem a bonkers time to have the adults only session - that to me would be the time to have the children’s session, and adult only in the late afternoon / evening.

@lovewoola are you seriously recommending Gleneagles as a family friendly hotel? I don't know what planet you live on, but it's not the same as mine. And yes I've stayed there!

Parents like the OP are the exact reason we always stay in adults-only hotels - and yes, we do have children (adults now and hell would have frozen over before they were allowed to behave in the way the OP described).

Honestly? You sound pretty self absorbed here.

Look at it from the point of view of the other paying guests. It sounds horrible for them (and I’m saying this as a been-there/done-that parent).

You’ll either need to accept it’s the way things are and just rein the kids in a bit but stay in the same type of accommodation, or choose a different type of hotel or holiday accommodation. You’d be fine on a campsite for an example, or chalets in a holiday camp.

If people are away on holiday then they don’t want a 7am wake up call unless they ask for one specifically. And kids running around when there are people wheeling luggage with them can be downright dangerous.

Shared use of the pool between families and non families feels to me like they ARE making allowances for families rather than the other way around. That way everyone gets a turn.

OP, yabu. Your kids were obviously annoying other guests. It's your job as a parent to teach them to behave in public spaces.

I really don't think anyone would be arsed to complain about one single squeal, and I don't think two people would get huffy in reception for no good reason. You're clearly underestimating how loud/disruptive they're being.

I get that they're small and that you probably think the sun shines out of their assets. Tbh, that's your job as a parent so fair enough. But other guests have paid to stay at the hotel and don't find your children quite so endearing. Maybe have a little more respect and consideration for others?

😂 have you been to gleneagles??? Ignoring the fact its £750+ for a room.

I have (for DH old work event) the only children I saw were in blazers wearing Ralph Lauren clothes and parents were paying for horse riding lessons.
It may have a creche but I wouldn't call it a family destination unless your seriously minted and have a nanny with you.
I was scared to touch anything let alone taking young children there!
At breakfast tables order champagne or bloody Mary's.

Even family friendly hotels, if they have just one pool, will have adults-only hours. I research the hours before I go (or ask if I can’t see it online). I would never dream of being so entitled so as to ask if my children could paddle during the adults only session.

I meant eldest but you get the point

You DO sound a bit "family from hell"-y...