To think hotels are very child unfriendly

[Ontheclifftop]

We've just come back from a weekend away in a hotel with dd aged 5 and ds aged 3. Three incidents really made me realise how unwelcoming hotels are to young families:

1. When we were checking in after a long drive the kids were letting off a bit of steam. I know how that sounds, but they were just running around a bit, not getting in anyone's way or anything. Two people who were sitting on couches reading newspapers got up and left, one sighing heavily and one giving us a dirty look.
2. At about 7ish the following morning we got a call from reception to say the people in the next room were complaining about the noise. Again I know how that sounds, but dd and ds were playing quietly with some teddies. DS let out one squeal of excited laughing but other than that they were perfectly fine.
3. Following that call I said I'd take them down to the swimming pool as I knew it opened early. When I got down the attendant said it was adult only between 7.30 and 9.00. I explained about the phone call and pointed out there were only 2 people in the pool and I'd do my best to ensure we'd stay down at the shallow end and not get in their way. But he refused to let us in.

The whole thing really pissed me off. What are you supposed to do with young children in a hotel? If they play quietly in the room someone complains. If you try to use the facilities to keep them occupied, you're told you can't.

AIBU to feel hotels are just totally unwelcoming to young families nowadays?

Even people staying at family-friendly hotels don't want kids running round and making loads of noise either.

There will be a bit more tolerance, but I would still get annoyed by the galumping giggling children knocking furniture over at 3am.

Child-friendly does not mean letting children doing what they want. It means catering for childrens' needs.

There’s no need to be making stupid noises with teddies at 7am! That would have been so annoying for your neighbours.

Having worked in the hotel industry previously, if you have children under 12yo, I would strongly advise selecting a family friendly hotel.
Most hotel chains really only cater for adults and older children - many of these hotels accommodate business people Monday to Thursday who need peace and quiet and not having kids running around being noisy.

It’s all very well for OP to say they were just running around but I don’t suppose they were doing it in complete silence.

I agree. Kids who are running aroud blowing off steam are rarely doing it in silence, or even quietly.

There will be adults who aren't quiet or silent in the lobby either. It's a hotel lobby, not a Quaker meeting, I don't think silence is to be expected.

Obviously they shouldn't be screaming or anything but I don't think they have to be silent

Yeah but adults are allowed to be a pita. The constant goady fuckers on mumsnet literally hate children.

Theirs of course were apparently at 3 sitting nicely for hours on end, were never up with the lark and bouncing off the walls while they willed the clock on. Yeah right.

The main disturbance in hotels is drunk adults. But I’ve literally never seen a thread about that and inappropriate behaviour/ language in front of children. Bizarre.

You are going to the wrong type of hotels.

Exactly.

And that is "needs," not "wants."

I'm 60, spend an average of 30 nights a year in hotels, if not more, and can't even remember the last time I saw a visibly drunk adult in the public area of a hotel. Maybe Vegas 15 years ago... and there were no kids around.

You haven’t been woken up by drunk people coming into their rooms? Utter nonsense unless you are literally on another planet.

It's not nonsense at all. You need a better class of hotel, clearly... no need for another planet.

Hahahahaha yeah right 🤡

What's amusing you? You told another poster that she must be "literally" on another planet if she can stay in a hotel without being woken by rowdy drunks.
Don't judge everyone by your own standards.

It’s just utter fiction.

These posh upmarket establishments where adults are never drunk and loud or annoying but the kids riot around causing mayhem?

None of you have ever stayed in a hotel like that.

But goady posters on mumsnet hate kids and parents, so if the cap fits then wear it.

I haven’t ever been woken up by a load of drunk adults going back to a hotel room.
But just like I choose not to stay in hotels that have facilities for children I choose not to stay in hotels that get booked by groups of drunk people.

Did anyone say that there aren’t drunk adults but there are noisy children?

I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels which have neither.

It's not hard to avoid noisy drunk adults if you stick to hotels that don't allow bookings from stag/hen parties, which are a recipe for a horrible stay.

When I was a child we were treated normally - eg strict manners etc but we were also allowed to join in the conversation at the dinner table. Not to take it over though.

We didn’t need crayons, toys, iPads etc to entertain ourselves, we might occasionally have brought a favourite toy like a teddy or doll along but that was it. We were expected to join in conversation. It helped as in one restaurant where they did have crayons and paper to draw things with and also signed photos of movie stars which impressed us.

As very few pubs allowed children (mostly in pub gardens sometimes or the games room) then though we did go to pubs we knew we had to behave, even in one that had a climbing frame in the pub garden.

It was a huge treat for us to go cafes, restaurants etc though it wasn’t a rarity. If we misbehaved at the table there we would be given a warning and as in one case my DM brought me to the toilets gave me a telling off but also checked if I was ok eg not feeling sick. We stayed out to eg 9-10pm but from 9 years old onwards.

this is 1970s onwards.

I stay in 4-5 star hotels only. No stags, hens, drunks and few kids. No AI resorts; i wouldn't stay at one of those if they paid me.

Sorry some of you can't fathom this but we all aren't wallowing around with the dregs, dodging drunks & boors.

Yep I agree, she’s got an issue of hotel selection. I don’t think I’ve ever been woken up by a drunk person at a hotel, and we stay in hotels several times every year. We stay in nice hotels that are not geared to attract the drunk partying type, though, and have never been to an AI. I imagine that in the sort of place where the alcohol is flowing all day, you’d probably get some drunk people stumbling back to their rooms.

I have been woken up in a hotel by loud children on more than one occasion. I say this as someone with 3 young kids who is careful to make sure we are all very quiet if we come in late and quiet again when we wake up in the morning. Being woken up at 5am by someone else’s kids whilst on holiday is the absolute worst.

No, you don’t do this either! Just take them to breakfast directly!! It IS on at 7am so why not just throw some clothes on and go down?

I’m afraid the latter CAN be true. My son was certainly capable of sitting nicely at the table for a good hour at that age. And up with the lark? Maybe I am lucky with my children but anything before 6am gets treated as a night waking.

Could be coincidental, but my husband is French and as a family we just don’t hold with any of the bullshit described. Sitting at the table and joining in the conversation is normal. We don’t allow phones at the table for anyone (including us, the adults, so as to set a good example). Running around is NEVER acceptable. Mealtimes are rigidly set with limited snacking opportunities. My (French) MIL is ruthless. Our eldest is nearly 5 and from day dot if he has asked for a snack at an inappropriate moment he just gets told straight up “no, it’s not time”. Funnily enough he is hungry come mealtime and sits nicely at the table. It’s not rocket science 🤷‍♀️