These hotel pool rules were bonkers

[splittingupquestion]

Stayed in a hotel with a pool this weekend for extended family get together. The pool had to be booked in advance by a group to use it - we knew this in advance. We didn’t know until we collected the key that we would have to have one adult per under 15 year old swimming, and 2 adults for an under 8 year old. This meant for our 5 children to swim in the pool we had to have 6 adults in the pool (kids age 14, 13, 12, 10 and 4).

AIBU for thinking this was health and safety gone mad? Does this actually seem reasonable to people?

Pinewood? The Royal Lion?

You might as well let us know who so we can be aware we need to take hoards of adults with us so the teens can have a splash about for an hour!

Sounds OTT

I booked a hotel for a city break abroad last week which I only found out a few days before didn’t allow under 18s to use the pool :/ my son is 17 so it seemed OTT! I cancelled and managed to find somewhere else with a pool

Not as silly as it might appear, even if they can't dive in and save someone they can still see what's going on and shout if there's a problem.
However on the overall point it does seem madness, they should have made it super clear at the point they advertised they had a pool

Absolute bonkers

2 adults for an under 8 year old.

that's bonkers.
I can understand why ONE adult, but 2? Utterly ridiculous.

Asking for more than 1 adult for 5 kids, also fine, but that hotel is insane. The only explanation I can think of is to put off people, nothing to do with health and safety.

Considering the amount of kids that have drowned I think it’s quite reasonable. I was working and a woman was in the phone to a family on holiday and a 5 year child was unattended by parents and drowned and I could hear it happening and was rather traumatising. I’d rather keep an eye on the children than risk them drowning but that’s just me

Actually though the absolute loudest, most irritating and obstructive groups in public pools are either couples doing PDAs or family groups of adults competing for the attention of one small child.

I live in a country where only children are the norm and it's common to encounter an initially content young toddler pottering in the shallow end of a pool with gradual beach style shallow part being egged on to engage with parents, grandparents, parents friends, and ending up a squeeling, shrieking, then crying and howling over stimulated mess. Too many adults are as problematic as too many children.

One adult per under 5, one adult for every two 5-10s, one adult - given there's no lifeguard - for groups of 10-16s would be better than multiple adults for every small child.

I keep an eye on my kids, but I don't need another adult to hold my hand to do that?

It's a pool, not the Atlantic Ocean. Most mum (or dad) of 3 manage to keep their children safe in a pool. With their rule, a family of 3 kids couldn't go anyway because they are missing an adult?

how is that reasonable?

The issue is the sheer number of adults required. Two adults per under 8 year old often means that both think the other is looking after the child. When you're on your own you know you're responsible. 10 year old and upwards should be accompanied by an adult but, if competent swimmers, don't need one adult each.

Yes, you need to keep a close eye on a 5 year old and stay within arms' reach because they usually can't swim and/or reach the bottom of the pool, but do you need two adults for that? And an additional adult each for teenagers who are competent swimmers?

I expect it is to stop people bringing four or five children to the pool and then one adult “supervising “ them while lying on lounger with a coffee and a book to read.

Have you asked them politely for the logic behind this?

I can understand an adult and have seen 2 children for 1 adult ratio in our local swimming pool for safety, but 2 adults to 1 child seems a bit excessive. I wonder if something has happened previously they are trying to prevent, although 2 adults to 1 child I can’t fathom.

Only if there is a life guard present, most hotel pools don’t have one, I work in a hotel leisure club and it’s definitely excessive

You should write this on trip advisor and Google reviews. I'd never go to a hotel with a crazy policy like this.

Yes that is totally impractical and unrealistic for many families.

Mine were both fully competent in the water by 8 years old and far less likely to come in to any harm than my DH, who is unconfident in the water and would be next to useless in a water water based emergency.

Crazy rules. It would stop be booking there if I had young children.

That’s ridiculous rules and discriminates against single parents / lone parents as well as those with multiples twins / triplets etc

I stayed in a Hilton hotel with my dds 11 and 12, both capable swimmers. They had to be accompanied by an adult, fair enough, but I was sitting in the hot tub watching them when I was told all under 16s needed to have a adult actually in the pool with them. So there I was, swimming lengths, not even watching the dc and it was deemed safer than me actually just watching them the whole time but from the side. Madness.

I did find it amusing that potentially a strapping 6ft 15 yo rugby playing lad would have to have his 5ft mum in the pool with him😂

Nothing to add, just that I love that you travel with a lifeguard 🤣

Which hotel is it OP?

So a single parent with one seven-year old couldn't use the pool?

Is this about something... other... than safety?

@PuggyPuggyPuggy does make you wonder doesn’t it !?

but then again what if you fit the social mould but have twins?! Under their rules that wouldn’t be allowed either!

will also ban nannies - and some are still employed when the kids are no longer babies,. or widows and widowers.

Lovely hotel.

I would have asked to sign a waiver.

I would ask now for a gesture of goodwill of the value it will cost you all to go swimming at a local pool for every day of your stay there.