Kid-free Hotels: A luxury or an outrage?

by Jordan Running (RSS feed)
Oct 14th 2005 at 7:03AM

When Ronald Ballner, proprietor of the posh Hotel Cortisen on Austria's Wolfgangsee lake, announced that, as of next May, his hotel would no longer be lodging guests with children under twelve years old, he expected a positive reaction. What he got instead was public outcry. "My guests have a right to quiet and relaxation without the noise of children," he said, but even the deputy governor of the province called the move "outgrageous" and the President of the Austrian Association of Hoteliers cited it as an example of how the hotel business is "getting more and more intolerant and more and more egotistical."

What do you think? If a no-kids-allowed hotel opened up in your state, would you book your reservation right away or cry foul? Do parents have a right to lodge with their children at any hotel, or do travelers have a right to lodging without hearing the pitter-patter of little feet?

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)

Richard West Dec 18th 2005 6:13PM

Isn�t this like the Boy Scouts of America issue, only allowing boys in the Club. Ask 100 people and I am sure you will get half and half responses; ∏ for and ∏ against. Perhaps it may depend greatly on whether the travelers do have children with them or not. In my travels around the World we often took our children with us and always found warmly accepting of children hotels to stay at. If they didn�t, we would stay somewhere else. I personally am on the side of a citizens right to freely market his business within the laws of the land. If the law of the land agrees that it is OK to keep children out just as it is in California to have Senior Citizens Subdivisions and Mobile home parks, then let the hotel owner take the risk of a public outcry. If the owner is losing money, he will surely change the policy right back to accepting children. There will most likely be plenty of hotel/motels where families with children can go and stay.

Lisa Turner Dec 18th 2005 6:13PM

I think it's a great idea!!!

Raul Thomas Dec 18th 2005 6:13PM

Children are a hazard due to the legal and child protection problems they bring. Great proposal to get rid of these horrible creatures from hotels.

Angie Dec 18th 2005 6:13PM

I'd rather have dogs than kids at restaurants, they behave better! Kids now-a-days have no manners! I would have never been able to behave the way kids do now, they are spoiled brats. I am not saying all kids are this way, but I had my first meal in a long time that was without stress from some kid screaming or running or something. And I was so suprised that there was a child there, but she was so well behaved! There are those few exceptions!

chris ghio Dec 18th 2005 6:13PM

Please... this is America people... If people want to pay for it (hotels w/o children)then let them... Hey, I certainly would enjoy a romantic weekend away with my girlfriend without children running amok (and pay much more for it)...

This is especially salient in our era of two-working parent homes where children are raised by TV (think Jackass, RAP videos, coarse language and behaviour) luxury should be an escape from ill-behaved brats... and its not like in a normal 'family' hotel I could go up and tell a parent his/her brats are acting nuts... for some reason our PC world doesnt like it when adults tell other adults they are bad parents (even when they are)

When my girlfriend and I settle down we'll travel with out (unborn) children at family vacation spots and muzzle the little brats when traveling in polite and refined company

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