A family were left ‘disgusted’ when they were stopped from staying and dining in a hotel on the grounds that their daughter was too young.
Simon Jones had taken his wife and five-year-old daughter Bianca, on a trip to his hometown Cleethorpes, from their family home in London.
Simon decided to take his family to stay in the Kingsway Hotel as it was somewhere he had visited many times before when living in Cleethorpes.
However, when the family -of-three arrived they were swiftly told they would not be allowed to stay or dine at the hotel as Bianca was too young, GrimsbyLive reports.
Simon said he was aware that rules at the hotel prohibited under fives from eating at the restaurant but believed that as she had now passed this milestone, there would be no problem.
However, the family were told when they got there that no one under the age of 12 was allowed to eat or stay there.
Simon said: “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.”
He described the business’s policy to exclude all under 12s as “draconian” and “unthinkable”, saying that despite staying in hotels all over the world, he has never experienced anything like this before.
Simon, who had travelled five hours from his home in Fulham, west London, added: “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?”
"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.”
Simon is now calling for hotels and other establishments to be held accountable for rules such as this, claiming its “inhumane” and “disgusting” to exclude certain families.
“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.”
Simon has vowed he and his family will not be returning to the Kingsway Hotel, saying they have lost present and future customers.
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 contacted the hotel for a comment and they did not respond. Their booking policy on booking.com says children over 5 are welcome, but it is thought that has been replaced with the 12 rule.
