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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:
Delatron · 19/10/2025 17:07

Doesn’t make any sense. I’d be getting the manager down to clarify. As surely anybody with a certain number of kids would be unable to use the pool. Same for single parents - which is discrimination. If they didn’t budge I would be telling them they will be getting a detailed Trip Advisor review so others know how tricky it is to use the pool.

Do they actually check? Can’t you just book the slot and all get in. I’d say I assumed a mistake with the writing of the rules as they don’t make sense..

Crazybigtoe · 19/10/2025 17:02

I've seen 1 adult per 2 kids for under 8s. Think that's normal where we are.

It will be insurance risk. They won't be qualified or able to take the risk of making a decision to approve your use of a lifeguard at short notice. They don't care that your kids are national swimmers (with or without the 4 (and 10? ) year old). I'm guessing you already know this.

BlueMum16 · 19/10/2025 17:00

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 16:30

Re read my post.

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Even your older kids swimming in nationals is unusual. Well done them.

PractisingMyTelekenipsis · 19/10/2025 16:48

Surely someone has misunderstood something somewhere along the line? As a single parent would I be expected to magic 3 extra adults from somewhere to be able to swim?

AutumnTimePolice · 19/10/2025 16:44

Dweetfidilove · 19/10/2025 16:39

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

Or parents with twins who would need 4 adults?!!! This seems bonkers and obviously a sly way of putting off children from being in the pool.

prelovedusername · 19/10/2025 16:40

Are you sure you understood the rules correctly? I would assume they meant one adult for under 15s and two adults for under 8s. As long as there were two adults present you would be covered for your four year old, and one adult would be enough for the 14, 13, 12 and 10 year old.

If the hotel staff are interpreting the rules differently it’s because they haven’t understood them.

Dweetfidilove · 19/10/2025 16:39

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

rwalker · 19/10/2025 16:35

Unfortunately theres a lot of feral kids with shit parents
it not so much about water safety it’s about teenagers being pain in the arse unsupervised

Rogerthat14 · 19/10/2025 16:30

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 16:30

Re read my post.

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Apologies

Original poster
splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 16:30

Rogerthat14 · 19/10/2025 16:28

Wow
National competitions at 4!

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Re read my post.

OP posts:
Rogerthat14 · 19/10/2025 16:28

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 16:26

Our kids (not the 4 year old) aren’t Olympians but have all swam in national competitions so were very taken aback!

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Wow
National competitions at 4!

Original poster
splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 16:26

FuzzyWolf · 19/10/2025 16:24

I think it’s too excessive.

Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan won an Olympic gold medal for 200m breaststroke at 14.

Our kids (not the 4 year old) aren’t Olympians but have all swam in national competitions so were very taken aback!

OP posts:
FuzzyWolf · 19/10/2025 16:24

I think it’s too excessive.

Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan won an Olympic gold medal for 200m breaststroke at 14.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 19/10/2025 16:21

That's madness! Their business will fail in no time

user2848502016 · 19/10/2025 16:21

That is a bit crazy. Also my 14 and 10 year olds are better swimmers than me now!

Original poster
splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 16:19

Rogerthat14 · 19/10/2025 16:14

Oh the famous one for kids?

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Don’t think so - it’s one in Lyme Regis. No other grumbles about it.

OP posts:
Rogerthat14 · 19/10/2025 16:14

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 15:51

A hotel in Dorset.

Oh the famous one for kids?

Arlanymor · 19/10/2025 16:07

It's not in the hotel's best interest to put off paying customers. Sounds more like a complex issue connect with the hotel's insurance and public liability - all of which comes down to supervision, safety measures, etc.

BogRollBOGOF · 19/10/2025 16:06

That's bonkers. I'm now at my eventual reward for the many years of weekly swimming lessons with a 12 & 14 yo that have completed stage 8 and are strong swimmers with DS2 now working through Rookie Lifguard. It's absolutely ludicrous that I'd have to have barely-swimmer DH in the pool to meet ratio to supervise them!

That's totally out of touch with usual pool ratios.

SleepyLemur · 19/10/2025 15:55

All for pool safety, but these are extreme. Not sure they even make sense as sometimes two adults with a small child are less safe than one, as they may think the other is watching the child and then neither properly supervises.

Agree, I think some pools let older children who can swim well in on their own, but only with lifeguards as you say. Would expect most hotels to require an adult with children of any age, but the ratios are mad.

Original poster
splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 15:55

not sure it was designed to discourage children as the slots are booked by groups staying there, my children in the pool don’t impact on childless guests using the pool in their slot, groups don’t intermingle, if that makes sense.

OP posts:
modgepodge · 19/10/2025 15:53

This is bonkers. 2 adults per child? It’s like they’ve read 2:1 somewhere and misunderstood which way round the numbers should go 😂

Agree that in an un lifeguarded pool, 9 year olds shouldn’t be alone. But I’d have thought 1 or 2 adults with the children you mention would have been adequate.

it does seem like maybe they didn’t really want kids in there at all…

Ponderingwindow · 19/10/2025 15:52

I’ve seen 1:1, but 2:1 is definitely unusual.

Our local pool with lifeguards has a within arms reach policy for young swimmers. The adult needs to be in the water next to the child. Not all parents abide and it is hard to enforce at such a large facility, but it is a good rule in general.

Purpleturtle45 · 19/10/2025 15:52

My husband took my 3 kids to a hotel, all over 8 and good swimmers but could only take 2 in at a time, he would have booked it if he had known. It's just ridiculous! One had to sit at the edge and swap in and out!

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!

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