To ask is this Hotel policy usual?

[IsThisStrangeOrNot]

Children under 12 not allowed to be alone in bedrooms. Small posh hotel recently refurbished. I can understand why they might not want toddlers running riot in the bedrooms but when DS is asleep and we're watching him on the baby monitor that's still not acceptable. Bedroom is up the stairs and we would be eating dinner in restaurant at foot of stairs, less than 5 seconds to get back to bedroom. It's in an isolated location with nothing nearby so can't imagine policy is for the security of children.
Their hotel, their rules - which we respect but first time I've heard this policy. Anyone else heard such a policy for kids under 12?

sounds normal and sensible. You can always ask if its ok for you to come down for dinner 5 seconds away. How old is DS?

Not sure regarding policy, but why would you do that? Say there was a fire and you couldn't get to your DS. I can't imagine it's going to much fun having dinner the two of you and staring at the baby monitor the whole time anyway..... Get room service when he is asleep, or have an early dinner.

Seems sensible.

I worked in hotels for years and there was always problems when people left their kids in rooms. Not to mention what happens when/if there is a fire.

How old is he ?

Sounds entirely reasonable.

Why would you even think of leaving a child alone in a hotel bedroom?

I think it sounds fair. I personally wouldn't be worried about fire or abduction as it sounds like it would be much the same set up as it would be in a typical home. If I were the hotel I'd be more nervous of kids mucking about or being sick.

I remember what my siblings and I used to get up to when left alone in hotel rooms I understand that the OPs dc might be better behaved but the hotel aren't to know that.

I used to work in hotel management and, yes, I've seen this before. It makes sense for a whole range of reasons (mostly some parents' tendency to get pissed at the bar and ignore screaming child) but, above all, fire procedure:

If you are sitting at the restaurant downstairs and they have to evacuate the place, you won't be able to simply pop up and get them. You'd be blocking the very stairs people should be rushing down in the opposite direction (can't use lifts during a fire). It's one of these unlikely but potentially catastrophic scenarios.

I don't think hotels can be compared to home at all.

For lots of reasons.

Hotels are full of strangers.
Your own home has been risk assessed by parents.
You know the state of safety latches, window openings, loose cords etc.
If there is a fire or emergency the situation would be confusing.
A child wakening up is a hotel room is likely to be confused and upset in unfamiliar surroundings.
You don't know who has a key to the room.
There are other risks, hot taps, sockets, furniture etc.

Thought this was pretty normal
Personally it goes without saying but seems they feel they need to literally spell it out to their guests.

Sounds utterly ridiculous. If child knows whereabouts in the hotel you are and can come and get you if they need to, why would you need to be in the room with them? You couldn't even have separate rooms with a policy like that.

Most hotels don't let you have separate rooms for under 12s

Which also seems ridiculous.

It wouldn't have even occurred to me to leave my kids alone in a hotel. I think it's a good rule.

There are hotels with baby listening services, so it's certainly not a given that hotels expect no children under 12 to be left in a room without a parent.

Don't know if I've heard of it as an actual policy as it's something I would take for granted that people wouldn't do anyway.

This is why I never stay in hotels with my children. I don't want to go to sleep at 7pm, and can't do anything else in the room without disturbing them. I suppose it would be OK if I had a multi-room suite, but until my lottery numbers come up I stick with rental cottages, whole-house AirBNB and staying with friends.

Madeline McCanns parents could see the flat/room from where they were sitting and were only a minute away weren't they?

I think it's a fire/security risk tbh.

Interesting range of views. I see the point from a fire evacuation point of view. The hotel is small so it's not like it's a large sprawling place where you could lose kids.
We stayed in a "family friendly" hotel recently where they had a baby listening service offered but most guests set up the baby cameras and watched the kids sleep whilst they were eating

But your child can't simply come and get you if the place is being evacuated, though, can they? You'll be ushered out to the assembly area, the alarm will be ringing, and a younger child may not know what to do at all. If they do know they'll be stuck on a crowded staircase, alone among all the adults trying to get out, basically reliant on one of them taking them to safety. Meanwhile, you'll be downstairs, yelling at staff who should be helping the evacuation that your babies are still up there. And you'll be demanding the concierge go an get them, basically telling them they should put themselves at risk to make up for the fact that you can't be bothered to have an eye on your kids.

Hotel evacuations aren't that unusual. We used to have two or three a year in one property I worked at. None of them was actually a real entire building on fire scenario, but you can't know it won't be at the time you decide to evacuate.

Reow they really couldn't.

Fire issues are catastrophic when it's a large hotel but I'm talking about a hotel with 10 rooms which is tiny therefore easy to run to rooms

bossy- exactly- and the child may not even make it out to a stairwell, they will be locked in their room.
Staff won't allow people to go back up to bedrooms while they are trying to evacuate.

Question is therefore why is there such a broad spectrum of hotel policies on this matter. If fire concerns are paramount then it would make sense for this to be standardised across all hotels in the UK. Why are some hotels offering baby listening services when that doesn't mitigate against the threat of fire?

No matter the size of the hotel you won't be allowed back to your room in an evacuation

How old is DS?