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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask is this Hotel policy usual?

297 replies

IsThisStrangeOrNot · 27/06/2017 06:00

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?

OP posts:
user1498665532 · 28/06/2017 18:12

The McCann's thought it was a good idea and was show why it was not. It's understandable from a liability aspect why the hotel forbid this.

Forgettheworld · 28/06/2017 18:18

My DS is 5 we go on holiday Monday. He'll be with us all the time. He'll be allowed to stay up late until 10.30/11pm because he's on holiday, it's a treat. I can't understand why you'd leave any child in a room on holiday. Go alone and leave your child with grandparents if you want alone time.

Flyinggeese · 28/06/2017 18:20

Why on earth would you want to leave them anyway? Regardless of age, why not eat dinner together?

I would not want to leave a child of that age alone in a hotel. Many, many reasons. H and S but also if the child is older (e.g. 11) they'd be bored and feel not included.

Flyinggeese · 28/06/2017 18:24

Sorry I'd missed that. The child is 18 months old and you want to leave them alone in the room?! This is a wind up surely. Not a very funny one either.

PantPlot · 28/06/2017 18:24

Some establishments are slacker than others I guess, much like people

GreenPetal94 · 28/06/2017 18:25

Not sure about usual policy but I have left sleeping kids in hotel rooms and taken baby monitor. Hotel staff knew and were happy. But we are talking a wee place in highlands of Scotland. In a big chain hotel I would be less keen.

Back in the day hotels used to offer listening services using the room phone. I think this has kind of disappeared since the McCann thing.

Tormundsbrow · 28/06/2017 18:42

If you want to leave your child, why bother taking them?

paxillin · 28/06/2017 18:45

If you want to leave your child, why bother taking them?

I accept that's true for an 18-month old, but I have found life is much better for the whole family if 10-16 year olds have the odd hour or two to themselves on holidays Grin.

Tormundsbrow · 28/06/2017 18:47

10-16 fair play, but if eating alone/ settled evenings without your child are so important - leave them with grandparents/relatives.

tireddotcom72 · 28/06/2017 18:47

At that age dd would have been sleeping in her buggy on holiday if she was tired, actually she didn't sleep - I made her sleep during day for a couple of hours so she would stay awake late and enjoy a family meal together x

Planningoz · 28/06/2017 18:49

We went on a skiing holiday when DD1 was about 2years. The company had a crèche / nursery which we used for a couple of hours a day. The brochure said we would also have a free babysitter one night. Once there we were told it was baby listening not babysitting. We apparently had to leave the room phone off the hook so hotel staff could hear if she cried and every so often one of the young women from the crèche would listen outside the room - which we were told to leave unlocked so they could get in if needs be. This was over 20 years ago and we did not have mobile phones. Needless to say we refused (no way would we be happy leaving her at that age alone) and in the end one of the crèche ladies offered to babysit for free. We accepted for a couple of hours as DD1 by then knew and liked her - and yes we did pay crèche lady as it would have wrong not to IMO - and caused a stink with the company when we got home about the false representation.

Writermom22 · 28/06/2017 18:57

Two words.

Madeleine McCann.

Eggandchipsfortea93 · 28/06/2017 19:00

Once DS is able to escape a cot there's no way I'll do it but at the moment, in a hotel..
The issue with this is that there will be a first time when your DC DOES climb out, and you won't know when until it happens; so once they're past about 10 months, I wouldn't bank on that first time not being when they wake in a strange room, and really want to find you.

EezerGoode · 28/06/2017 19:04

Why would you do that,yr not at home,to much of a risk,fire ect

Crazyunicornlady · 28/06/2017 19:05

Why would you ever consider leaving a 18 month old alone in a strange hotel room?

The policy is undoubtedly part of their fire risk assessment, no hotel wants the responsibility of a child left alone in a burning building...

Butteredparsnip1ps · 28/06/2017 19:07

On a slightly different note, why are people so stressed about putting their children to bed so early in this country?

This. With Bells on. Enjoy your holiday with Your children.

riceuten · 28/06/2017 19:08

I'd say "their gaff, their rules", to be honest. Maybe they've had a bad experience?

MrsPringles · 28/06/2017 19:10

18 months? No way on this earth would I leave my son in a hotel room and bugger off for dinner. 5 seconds away or not I think that's incredibly irresponsible

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 28/06/2017 19:11

18 months old.Shock

When mine were that age we just took them with us to eat or we ate in our room. It's just breathtakingly arrogant to leave a baby in a hotel room and think all will be well.

It's a baby not a bloody dog!

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 28/06/2017 19:13

And I don't believe e room is 5 seconds away from the dining room.

A 10 bedroom hotel is still a big building, and you also have to factor in unlocking the door unless you were going to leave it openHmm

welshweasel · 28/06/2017 19:14

egg if he climbed out of his cot I'd see it on the monitor and go up the ten or so steps to the room. It's closer than if he did it at home. Not that he's woken up at night for many months so would be unusual.

And parsnips as I explained upthread, I'm not remotely upright about getting my child to bed, I'd love it if he would stay up late when we are away but it just doesn't work at the moment, he screams until he's put to bed.

Minaktinga · 28/06/2017 19:15

DS is almost 6 and I wouldn't leave him alone in a hotel - strange place, fire risk, strangers. We would eat with him earlier on. And then stay in the room.

welshweasel · 28/06/2017 19:18

if you we choose hotels for that very reason. Yes, the table we sat at for dinner in the last place we stayed was at the bottom of the stairs that led directly to the bedroom (no further than 20 steps from my seat to the room). No other entry/exit points and as I said earlier, closer than he is at home. It's a risk I though reasonable to take. I'd wager DS was at more risk of coming to harm on the drive there, or crossing the road from the car park.

welshweasel · 28/06/2017 19:19

A six year old is an entirely different matter. I wouldn't do that either. I suspect our days of being able to do it are numbered.

user1489675144 · 28/06/2017 19:19

18 months old - alone in a hotel bedroom
WOW
No

Many other Europeans would never consider leaving children to go dine/drink etc ... hence the McCann leaving/disappearance/abduction/walked off - many totally amazed that (some) British families consider this OK

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