Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

These hotel pool rules were bonkers

106 replies

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 15:46

Stayed in a hotel with a pool this weekend for extended family get together. The pool had to be booked in advance by a group to use it - we knew this in advance. We didn’t know until we collected the key that we would have to have one adult per under 15 year old swimming, and 2 adults for an under 8 year old. This meant for our 5 children to swim in the pool we had to have 6 adults in the pool (kids age 14, 13, 12, 10 and 4).

AIBU for thinking this was health and safety gone mad? Does this actually seem reasonable to people?

OP posts:
a222 · 20/10/2025 23:27

waterproofed · 20/10/2025 20:36

Nothing to add, just that I love that you travel with a lifeguard 🤣

i think they just happened to be one / trained. coincidence.

IsThistheMiddleofNowhere · 20/10/2025 22:21

Sounds ridiculous. So a family of four with say, 7 year old twins can't go In the pool together. I agree, its over the top

PuggyPuggyPuggy · 20/10/2025 22:13

autumnevenings25 · 20/10/2025 21:04

@PuggyPuggyPuggy does make you wonder doesn’t it !?

but then again what if you fit the social mould but have twins?! Under their rules that wouldn’t be allowed either!

Maybe nobody thought about twins. I know I hadn't, so I'm only realising now that two parents with twins would have to rope in another two adults to help 😂 it's completely bonkers!

Original poster
splittingupquestion · 20/10/2025 21:56

I emailed the hotel (which has been named in this thread btw) nicely just querying this policy which for all the reasons that have been pointed out on this thread - had a response from the manager that this is indeed the policy for compliance purposes but he recognises it is too draconian and will look at it again. From something he said I think it’s pretty recent & we were the first group for whom it was a challenge.

OP posts:
Starwind74 · 20/10/2025 21:38

Or a 2 parent family with 2 children, one under 8 would have to have someone else with them how ridiculous.

Cherryicecreamx · 20/10/2025 21:31

Dweetfidilove · 19/10/2025 16:39

I take it there's no swimming for the children of single parents 😳. Just wow!

Was just about to comment this. How disappointing - and actually quite insulting - to turn up and be told that I wouldn't be able to have a swim with my son because there's no other adult present!

KarmenPQZ · 20/10/2025 21:27

I would have asked to sign a waiver.

I would ask now for a gesture of goodwill of the value it will cost you all to go swimming at a local pool for every day of your stay there.

ThisGentleRaven · 20/10/2025 21:23

PuggyPuggyPuggy · 20/10/2025 20:59

So a single parent with one seven-year old couldn't use the pool?

Is this about something... other... than safety?

will also ban nannies - and some are still employed when the kids are no longer babies,. or widows and widowers.

Lovely hotel.

autumnevenings25 · 20/10/2025 21:04

@PuggyPuggyPuggy does make you wonder doesn’t it !?

but then again what if you fit the social mould but have twins?! Under their rules that wouldn’t be allowed either!

PuggyPuggyPuggy · 20/10/2025 20:59

So a single parent with one seven-year old couldn't use the pool?

Is this about something... other... than safety?

autumnevenings25 · 20/10/2025 20:41

Which hotel is it OP?

waterproofed · 20/10/2025 20:36

Nothing to add, just that I love that you travel with a lifeguard 🤣

Lovelynames123 · 20/10/2025 20:23

I stayed in a Hilton hotel with my dds 11 and 12, both capable swimmers. They had to be accompanied by an adult, fair enough, but I was sitting in the hot tub watching them when I was told all under 16s needed to have a adult actually in the pool with them. So there I was, swimming lengths, not even watching the dc and it was deemed safer than me actually just watching them the whole time but from the side. Madness.

I did find it amusing that potentially a strapping 6ft 15 yo rugby playing lad would have to have his 5ft mum in the pool with him😂

autumnevenings25 · 20/10/2025 20:15

That’s ridiculous rules and discriminates against single parents / lone parents as well as those with multiples twins / triplets etc

ThisCanFuckOffToo · 20/10/2025 20:12

Mine were both fully competent in the water by 8 years old and far less likely to come in to any harm than my DH, who is unconfident in the water and would be next to useless in a water water based emergency.

Crazy rules. It would stop be booking there if I had young children.

Junebrick · 20/10/2025 20:05

Yes that is totally impractical and unrealistic for many families.

Anakan · 20/10/2025 19:44

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 15:46

Stayed in a hotel with a pool this weekend for extended family get together. The pool had to be booked in advance by a group to use it - we knew this in advance. We didn’t know until we collected the key that we would have to have one adult per under 15 year old swimming, and 2 adults for an under 8 year old. This meant for our 5 children to swim in the pool we had to have 6 adults in the pool (kids age 14, 13, 12, 10 and 4).

AIBU for thinking this was health and safety gone mad? Does this actually seem reasonable to people?

You should write this on trip advisor and Google reviews. I'd never go to a hotel with a crazy policy like this.

MatJas · 20/10/2025 19:28

HuskyNew · 19/10/2025 15:48

Yes bonkers. Never seen a 2:1 ratio before.
Seems like they don’t really want kids in there at all.

Most pools allow 8+ to swim alone

Only if there is a life guard present, most hotel pools don’t have one, I work in a hotel leisure club and it’s definitely excessive

Noodles1234 · 20/10/2025 19:22

I can understand an adult and have seen 2 children for 1 adult ratio in our local swimming pool for safety, but 2 adults to 1 child seems a bit excessive. I wonder if something has happened previously they are trying to prevent, although 2 adults to 1 child I can’t fathom.

NorthXNorthWest · 20/10/2025 19:17

Have you asked them politely for the logic behind this?

viques · 20/10/2025 19:11

RandomUsernameHere · 19/10/2025 15:51

That sounds absolutely ridiculous, maybe they are trying to limit numbers in the pool by making it impossible for most families to swim!

I expect it is to stop people bringing four or five children to the pool and then one adult “supervising “ them while lying on lounger with a coffee and a book to read.

CheeseNPickle3 · 20/10/2025 19:09

user6788 · 20/10/2025 18:51

Considering the amount of kids that have drowned I think it’s quite reasonable. I was working and a woman was in the phone to a family on holiday and a 5 year child was unattended by parents and drowned and I could hear it happening and was rather traumatising. I’d rather keep an eye on the children than risk them drowning but that’s just me

Show quote history

Yes, you need to keep a close eye on a 5 year old and stay within arms' reach because they usually can't swim and/or reach the bottom of the pool, but do you need two adults for that? And an additional adult each for teenagers who are competent swimmers?

Delphiniumandlupins · 20/10/2025 18:59

The issue is the sheer number of adults required. Two adults per under 8 year old often means that both think the other is looking after the child. When you're on your own you know you're responsible. 10 year old and upwards should be accompanied by an adult but, if competent swimmers, don't need one adult each.

ThisGentleRaven · 20/10/2025 18:59

user6788 · 20/10/2025 18:51

Considering the amount of kids that have drowned I think it’s quite reasonable. I was working and a woman was in the phone to a family on holiday and a 5 year child was unattended by parents and drowned and I could hear it happening and was rather traumatising. I’d rather keep an eye on the children than risk them drowning but that’s just me

Show quote history

I keep an eye on my kids, but I don't need another adult to hold my hand to do that?

It's a pool, not the Atlantic Ocean. Most mum (or dad) of 3 manage to keep their children safe in a pool. With their rule, a family of 3 kids couldn't go anyway because they are missing an adult?

how is that reasonable?

TheFiveLakes · 20/10/2025 18:54

Scarfitwere · 20/10/2025 18:04

Definitely this, was going to say the same. They don't want loads of unsupervised/barely supervised kids

Show quote history

Actually though the absolute loudest, most irritating and obstructive groups in public pools are either couples doing PDAs or family groups of adults competing for the attention of one small child.

I live in a country where only children are the norm and it's common to encounter an initially content young toddler pottering in the shallow end of a pool with gradual beach style shallow part being egged on to engage with parents, grandparents, parents friends, and ending up a squeeling, shrieking, then crying and howling over stimulated mess. Too many adults are as problematic as too many children.

One adult per under 5, one adult for every two 5-10s, one adult - given there's no lifeguard - for groups of 10-16s would be better than multiple adults for every small child.

Swipe left for the next trending thread