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AIBU?

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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:
splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 15:51

A hotel in Dorset.

OP posts:
Rogerthat14 · 19/10/2025 15:50

What hotel??

splittingupquestion · 19/10/2025 15:50

I thought the same about over 8s being allowed to swim alone, but that is in lifeguarded pools. This pool wasn’t lifeguarded, so I accept the need for an adult ratio, I just think this was utterly mad.

we actually had a lifeguard with us so asked if they could just lifeguard the pool instead of meeting the adult ratios but they said no.

OP posts:
BlueMum16 · 19/10/2025 15:49

That's excessive.

Was it the UK?

Swim England and H&S advice is usually one adult can supervise two under 8s. So 3 kids means two adults

Over 8s do not technically need an adult but must stay in the shallow end.

Was there a lifeguard on duty?

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

MidlandsGal1 · 19/10/2025 15:47

That does seem a bit excessive.

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