To think hotel lounges aren't workplaces

[Lydiaatthebarre]

I have been staying in a hotel for the past couple of days and yesterday my friend and I were told to shush by a woman who was not a resident but had come into the hotel with her laptop and phone, ordered a coffee and sat there for about an hour making calls. We weren't shouting or anything, just talking in a perfectly normal voice. She then sighed loudly when two kids sat at a table near her and started playing I Spy.

The last time I stayed in a hotel I was trying to relax and read the paper but two men were using it to have a meeting and make several very loud business calls that could be heard all over the place.

AIBU to think residents should be we to relax in hotel lounges without being made to feel they're gatecrashing someone's office?

I think I'd have joined in the I spy game at a rather loud volume...

She isn’t unreasonable to work there.

She is of course unreasonable to expect others to be quiet.

I thought that was what Starbucks was for?

Well, do you want it quiet in there or not? Because if you can use it for a chat someone working can use it for business calls.

It's for guests to use. It was rude of the woman to shush you but it's perfectly normal and acceptable for people to work in there. Many/most hotels are primarily business guests.

I think if people want to work in a hotel lobby then they should be able to. Sometimes I do it just because I want a change from sitting in my room. On the other hand, people working can really not expect other residents to sit in quiet because it suits them. So she WBU about that.

My DH has to work in hotel lounges form time to time but he always finds a quiet corner so his calls can't be overheard and he would never tell anyone to be quiet. That's because he is a decent person not an arse.

Sorry I've no problem with someone working in a hotel. But taking over the place or making a series of loud work related phone calls, or holding meetings that make residents feel they're in the way is different.

Queen I specified that she wasn't a resident.

I often work in hotel lounges. I'd never expect anyone to be quiet for me. They are usually blasting out pan pipes type 'musak' anyway.

Did you tell her no when she told you to shush?

I’m on holiday in a hotel in the UK. Some guests were letting their 3 children skateboard in the hotel lounge yesterday.

We were so surprised non that we just looked at her and said nothing.

Sorry for posting so many times! Hope you carried on talking to each other afterwards

Yes we did. We started to whisper and then realized we weren't the ones BU.

No YANBU at all. Especially because she wasn’t even a resident. But even if she was she was being a twat. You were very restrained OP.

I had similar once in the bar at my members only health club. There’s an adults only room and I’d met a friend and we had lunch in the adults room as it was a weekend and there’s kids running round the main area.

We’re talking (a lot) but normal talking voice. Some bloke on a laptop asked us to stop talking as “this is supposed to be a quiet area”. No signs saying it’s supposed to be a quiet area and I queried it with staff who said we were right and the bloke was wrong so we carried on!

As long as people recognise it’s public space then it’s fine to work. Telling other people what they can or can’t do in that space is unreasonable. If they need quiet they would have a better chance in the library or should pay for office space.

I would have spoken to the hotel staff and let them deal with it. Their hotel is not free office space for her

It's not an office.

It's also not a playroom.

Their hotel is not free office space for her

Of course it is provided she buys drinks etc.

What she can’t do is treat it like a private office and expect the other guests to modify their behaviour.

I was waiting for someone recently who was having a spa treatment in the hotel facility - I ordered a coffee and a sandwich and sat in the hotel lounge to enjoy a quiet read. Other chairs taken by people either taking a break, waiting for people, meeting up and having normal level conversations . To my left was a man, very loudly holding a business coaching session with someone ( power point on a laptop etc) - a bottle of water was a lot cheaper than than hiring an appropriate room (not residents, he paid in cash when they left) . He was disproportionately loud - everyone was turning to see and the client looked uncomfortable - or maybe she realised what a load of pointless bollox he was spouting..... When they went, normal conversation reigned until some twit sat down in Shouty Man’s seat and proceeded to watch a film or similar at full volume on his flaming phone. I gave him my usually effective full daggers glare but when that failed called the ever disappearing waitress over , who then had a word, whereapon he flounced.

Not hard to just use indoor voices or some appreciation that one is sharing a common space .

I agree it's not a playroom either but the children were just playing I Spy in normal voice tones, not playing on their scooters as I saw in another hotel lobby recently

Agree with you OP.

She can use the hotel lobby/lounge as her office if she wants, but she can'c complain when people make noise around her.

I think she was unreasonable to expect you as a hotel guest to be quiet OP, or sigh when the children started playing I Spy, a hotel lobby is not her exclusive work space. Slightly off subject, I get fed up with those who set up an "office" on the train and then huff and puff because someone wants the only available seat next to them. Have they paid extra to take over more space. I doubt it

YANBU. I regularly have mini-meetings in a hotel lounge bar - I had one on Thursday with a colleague. However we'll only do this if we are not talking about anything confidential or commercially sensitive, and if the meeting is more of a catch-up chat. Anything that requires slides, a formal agenda etc., needs a proper room.

There were lots of other people in the bar with us chatting, laughing, having brunch etc. Didn't bother us at all because we're in a relaxed social setting and expecting people to act like Trappist monks because you've got your laptop out, is very entitled and selfish.