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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Would you have done the same - hotel related

25 replies

whoneedssleepanyway · 18/02/2014 09:46

On Sunday night my parents, DH and I and our DC (age 7 and 4) had booked to stay in a B&B, my parents had a room and then we had a double with an adjoining twin for our girls.

When we got there the room wasn't available and instead we were booked into a double and a twin next door to one another, my parents had the room opposite, there were no other rooms on that floor. We put the girls to bed and DH and I were watching TV in our room. Anyway when it came to go to bed, I said to DH I wasn't happy with this, we didn't want to lock the girls in in case anything happened in the night but I felt I wouldn't sleep all night as didn't feel comfortable with it (there was one other family staying....in our room!!! and the B&B owner). DH said it would be fine, we went to bed, I lay there for half an hour and then said no, I would get DD2 carry her into our room and sleep in the double bed with her and DH could share with DD1 in the twin, we did this and it was fine.

Would anyone have left their DCs in a separate room overnight, I am sure I will get a unanimous YWNBU but DH would have done this....

OP posts:

littlewhitebag · 18/02/2014 09:53

They were a bit young to be left alone so what you did seems right to me.

Was there another family also sleeping in your room? This is puzzling me.

MaidOfStars · 18/02/2014 09:53

I would get DD2 carry her into our room and sleep in the double bed with her and DH could share with DD1 in the twin, we did this and it was fine

An obvious solution for me. They probably couldn't have wandered very far (if they chose to do so) but I think what you did is quite standard. it was always the arrangement with my parents, my brother and me (although that was maybe compounded by having opposite sex children).

I don't think it's worth worrying about, or finding the "right" answer

AnyFucker · 18/02/2014 09:55

I wouldn't even have attempted the 2 rooms thing

One child with each parent right from the start for me

Wantsunshine · 18/02/2014 09:58

I am so confused as to why another family was in your room and so was the B & B owner! Please can you elaborate!

AtiaoftheJulii · 18/02/2014 09:59

You did the right thing. Hope you got a discount!

Wantsunshine · 18/02/2014 09:59

Ah just realised you mean your originally booked room.

Teeb · 18/02/2014 10:01

That would piss me off that a specific room I had booked was given to someone else, presumebly on short notice. Once you'd decided though that you would be sharing with the girls I would have all stayed in the double and informed the hotel we wouldn't be needing the twin room after all.

Dinosaurdrip · 18/02/2014 10:08

I work in a hotel and we do not allow children under 16 to be in a room on their own. It surprises me how many parents, with children younger than op's, ask for seperate rooms and are then shocked when we say no. I know at home children sleep in their own rooms but I wouldn't feel comfortable being seperated in a hotel.

Original poster

whoneedssleepanyway · 18/02/2014 10:23

Sorry - yes there was one family room in the B&B which had a double room and a twin room connecting to it so we would have all been in the same set of rooms, but basically the family that stayed in it the night before decided to extend their stay and he let them keep that room.

Very annoying but we arrived in the evening had nowhere else to stay so had to suck it up basically.

So meant in the premises there was 1 other family and the B&B owner!!!

OP posts:

differentnameforthis · 18/02/2014 10:42

but basically the family that stayed in it the night before decided to extend their stay and he let them keep that room.

I would have kicked up merry hell over this. You booked the rooms for a specific reason, he was wrong to let them stay on at short notice, I would have made sure I got the rooms I booked.

Funnyfoot · 18/02/2014 10:52

I would complain. Fine that the other family wished to extend their stay but they should of been the ones to move. It seems that the owner was banking on you just accepting the room change as it was late and you had no other options. Tell them that you will be putting this on trip advisor (if they are on it).

FuckingWankwings · 18/02/2014 10:59

I would have made a massive scene too. If you book a particular kind/combination of room it's usually for a particular reason, and someone else deciding to extend their stay is no excuse for letting you down.

I guess the owner thought that keeping the existing guests happy was preferable to accommodating you, the new guests, but I think they made a mistake. Phone or write a formal complaint and tell them a) you expect an apology and some money back as a gesture and b) if they don't come up with those things you will write to any association they're a member of, and post online reviews explaining what happened.

If no apology/reimbursement is forthcoming then follow up on these threats.

mummymeister · 18/02/2014 11:00

sorry but I would make a formal complaint too. you booked this place specifically because they were able to offer you an adjoining room. I am sure it took you a while to find it too. the owner should have explained to the other family that their particular room was booked but he could offer them the alternative. its difficult as likely as not they would have left and he would have lost trade. but you had a contract with him for a specific room. write to him asking for a refund/discount/whatever you think appropriate in the first place. if not satisfied, if he is star rated then right to visitengland and let them know. we had this once at midnight in a travel inn. the room was filthy and the only ones available.

PorkPieandPickle · 18/02/2014 11:03

I would have made a complaint too. They were not the room you booked. I hope you were heavily discounted for your stay.

SooticaTheWitchesCat · 18/02/2014 11:20

I wouldn't have left my children in the room on their own and neither would DH. I would also have complained about the fact we didn't get the room we paid for!

Peekingduck · 18/02/2014 12:06

"A formal complaint" - to a B+B owner? The person who decided not to honour the original booking? What's going to happen as a result of that?

If he was going to do anything nice to compensate you he'd have done it while you were there and obviously put out. I'd just leave a review on Tripadvisor.

FuckingWankwings · 18/02/2014 12:09

duck, posters including me are suggesting a complaint, a request for reimbursement, AND the threat/promise of writing to any associations the B&B is a member of and posting bad reviews online.

Yes, he should have compensated them at the time, but obviously he didn't and the OP had to suck it up for the reasons she explained. The next best thing is to contact him now and request compensation.

DoItTooJulia · 18/02/2014 12:10

Tripadvisor review!

YANBU. At all. I'd have done the same as you.

Nocomet · 18/02/2014 12:12

My DDs have had separate rooms in Majorca at that sort of age. They loved it and were fine

RedFocus · 18/02/2014 12:24

Depends on the age of the children of course. We stayed in a hotel about 18months ago and we had two rooms, one for us and one for the kids. My kids were 10, 9 and 5. I felt perfectly comfortable with this arrangement because they had a tv with sky and their own bathroom and if they needed us they would call us.

Bowlersarm · 18/02/2014 12:28

I would be cross if I were you and complain.

There is a huge difference between having DC that age in an adjoining room with the door open, but giving you and DH some privacy, and having them shut away in a completely separate room.

LIZS · 18/02/2014 12:31

I hope you got a partial refund . If you had specifically requested adjoining rooms then what you received wasn't that . Having said that you were the only people on that floor but I'd have been uneasy.

lynniep · 18/02/2014 12:36

Tripadvisor bad review and contact the owner to complain. We would have done the same as you. We would never leave our kids (same age) on their own together in a hotel room.

ShanghaiDiva · 18/02/2014 12:41

One adult per child here, and my kids are older.

mummymeister · 18/02/2014 12:49

Duck - if you don't complain then they will do it again. as FWW says go to their trade bodies and complain. people who give bad service carry on doing it until they are stopped. this wont be a one off, I bet. the OP had to put up with it on the night as there were no other options. people and businesses do change their behaviours if its pointed out to them enough times. if they don't then a couple of tripadvisor reviews all saying the same thing generally does the trick. good service = good business.

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