A family say they have been left stunned after a hotel refused to let them stay or dine at the establishment due to the age of their daughter. Simon Jones claims the Kingsway Hotel refused to let him, his wife and their five-year-old daughter sleep or eat at the business because their child was under 12.
Simon decided to visit the Cleethorpes based hotel with his family, after regularly frequenting it in the past. However, due to the organisation's policy regarding children under five, the couple had been unable to take their child.
The family were excited to make the trip from London to the father's hometown as Bianca had just passed the threshold to visit the hotel after recently celebrating her fifth birthday. However, upon making the five hour drive from Fulham to the Kingsway Hotel they were shocked to learn of the rule change, reports Grimsby Live.
Simon says the hotel staff informed the flabbergasted group that they would be unable to dine at the establishment due to Bianca being under 12-years-old. He explained: "We were travelling up to Cleethorpes on Saturday, 5 November, and decided to go to the Kingsway, it's somewhere I've dined at for years and is one of my favourite places to go.
"However, since the birth of my daughter, we've not been able to stay there as they don't allow children under 5. She passed this milestone earlier this year so thought we'd go there and have a meal.
"When we arrived, we were swiftly told that no one under the age of 12 could stay there all week and that anyone under that age wasn't able to dine at the hotel either. The idea of that is unthinkable and frankly draconian in my opinion.
"It takes me five hours to get to Cleethorpes from Fulham and I often spend time in the area so I took massive offence when I was told this. You would think this rule would have changed to make the place more accepting of young people, but it would seem it's stuck in a time warp."
Simon says he had stayed at a wide range of hotels across the globe and has never once encountered another business with this policy. He said: "I've never heard of anything like this before and to be told we couldn't have a family meal there was appalling.
"Surely if a child or anyone for that matter is badly behaved, you should just tell them to leave?"
The father feels the 'arrogant' hotel should be held to account for this 'inhumane' rule. He added: "It's inhumane to exclude families in modern times, it's just totally absurd and disgusting.
"I can understand adults only places, but this seems to be one step too far. We'd waited five years, but to be told we'd have to wait another seven before we could sit down as a family is crazy.
"I refuse to tolerate this, especially in my home town. You'd think with Cleethorpes being a family resort and businesses struggling with the cost of living that they would be looking to welcome any income.
"I think this is just extreme arrogance on their part. We won't be going there again and we certainly won't be waiting seven years to go when Bianca is 12.
"People like her are the future customers of these venues, but they may not have a future if they're being turned away for the first 12 years of their life."
Grimsby Live have contacted The Kingsway Hotel for comment. The hotel's booking policy on booking.com says children over five are welcome, but it is thought that has been replaced with the over 12's only rule.
