Are Butlins right to refuse bookings from solo travellers?

[KimberleyClark]

This woman used to take her son, he has grown out of it but she still wants to go on her own but Butlins Skegness won’t accept her booking on “family breaks” - she can only go on the adults only weekend breaks. Safeguarding reasons apparently.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9eerp43v12o

YANBU - ridiculous
YABU - they are right.

I don't get people who book the same place in the UK for years and years - there's better places than bloody Butlins and bloody Skeggy!

I holiday alone - sometimes with fellow singles on a touring holiday abroad and my holiday hell would be a Butlins/Haven and other holiday camps.

I suppose Butlins can refuse bookings from whoever for whatever reason they like (although I expect any protected characteristics would be considered discrimination).

While I can understand her reasons for wanting to go...I also understand their point of view.

While I'm sure profits are a big factor - that a solo traveller unconnected to a family booking will be less profitable than a grandparent / aunt or uncle would be - it seems solo travellers aren't outright banned, just need to be connected with a family booking.

Safeguarding is definitely another though - I wonder if it would it considered as terrible and mean if it was man rejected. I'd expect the comments would be questioning his motives and why can't he go on a adults only weekend to enjoy his 'walks'.

It's one thing to book a holiday where there happens to be kids, vs booking an holiday that is marketed specifically for families, and being upset that the part of your holiday you're 'missing' is seeing other families.

DP and I was talking about this. They've essentially said "we're a space exclusively for children." And I don't think that's a bad thing. It's like a soft play not letting you in without a kid. There's a theme park near me that is only for children and their guardian, you're not allowed entry without a child.

You can still go on adult breaks there and there is a myriad of other places for you. Butlins is for kids.

We went to haven recently and I did feel uncomfortable when solo adults were taking part in children's entertainment or in children's areas of the pools so I do like the idea of butlins instead to avoid those travellers.

It is very much the same as adult only hotels.

I'm not convinced about the safeguarding explanation, but Butlins can pitch to whoever they like.

I think it’s automatically right because they are a private business and they can do what they want, unless it’s discriminatory to a protected group. She has no entitlement to a holiday with them.

Centerparcs don’t let single occupiers either. But when I mentioned that on here once I got vilified.
Of course they are right, for example would you want an adult single male wandering around? Why would they even want to when they can go to any other hotel in the country that they like?

They aren’t supposed let adults alone in kids cinema showings either, for exactly the same reasons.

I did say most not all. I regularly cruise with a line that doesn’t ban children but I’ve never seen an under 18 on there. And the mandatory safety drill explicitly mentions children - they have to because children are not banned!

What on earth? The safeguarding is in place for a reason. Let’s have a free for all on nonces should we?

I feel sorry for the woman involved, but frankly I can't see why any single/solo person in their right mind would want to spend time with entitled 'families'.

And as for safeguarding as a reason 😂I think you'll find that most safeguarding offenses are committed by parents or close family contacts.

I am single. Plus the friends I have are more into sitting around the pool all day types. Want to explore and see sights not sitting around the pool.

I think you will find that 'nonses', as you so articulately put it, are most likely to be a family member, or an existing close contact of the child.

It has nothing to do with safeguarding. Places like Butlins/Centre Parcs/etc. are designed to extract the maximum amount of money from families.

So, it makes no business sense to attract singles/solo people.

To be honest its probably to spread demand.

Family weeks are probably scheduled around school holidays. You don't really want your adult only groups filling your school holiday slots - its easy to fill those with families whereas the off peak weeks are harder to fill. So you take away the choice, it means if adult only groups want to go, they have to go in those less popular weeks outside school holiday.

Its a business they are running. They want to maximise profits.

If all she wants to do is go on ‘lovely walks’ she can do that on an adult weekend break , nobody makes you stay out partying all night .

What would you like me to call them? Child rapists? Can do.
Plus, if it’s all about money why do cinemas do it?
Sexual abuse by strangers does happen, just because it’s less likely it seems very odd to try and downplay it…..

They're a business - they care about money, safeguarding is just their PR spin.

They'll make more money in high season from families with children mithering endlessly for ice-creams and burgers and entertainment, than they will from adult solo visitors using the place as a base.

That’s a poor comparison. Travelling alone isn’t a ‘type’ of holiday, it’s a type of traveller - e.g. solo. Because sometimes it is the only option otherwise you don’t get to go on holiday at all. Like eating alone isn’t a ‘type’ of dining.

I think it's fair enough for Butlins to say that family breaks are for families. People freak out about lone adults being present in playgrounds or other child focused places, I don’t see why Butlins is any different.

Most families can only go at certain times of the year and Butlins is usually fully booked at that time. Single people taking up limited accommodation during the only times families can go is unreasonable. And obviously Butlins won't want them to do it as they lose money on a single person compared to a family.

Whether the underlying motive is money-driven or safeguarding-driven is irrelevant if the outcome is the same. A business has a right to set its own rules, providing they are within the bounds of the law and not discriminatory.

I feel sorry for her - although I suspect she is trying to recapture some past magic that doesn’t exist - but it’s just a fact of life. When my ex-h and I went on honeymoon we chose an adults-only resort because that was the vibe we wanted. We were only in our 20s and nothing against children, we just wanted a place that would arguably be a bit more quiet, secluded and relaxing for us.

Surely you can see why they wouldn't want single men hanging around a family holiday park, but they can't say 'no single men' so they say no single people.

I'm pretty sure there was some horrible incident at Legoland that led them to decide that single adults couldn't go there either.

Probably also to do with profit. They make way more money by letting units to a family (on drinks, entertainment, toys etc) than to a single person.

I also think it's weird someone would want to sit around watching other families. Maybe it's not only paedophiles who would do that, but I'm guessing the percentage wouldn't be zero.

When did they bring that in? I’ve been to centre parcs alone three times.