Originally Posted by grumbler

Correct. I have sympathy with the previous poster's poor experience with simply asking about accomodation when in shorts, and it is a very strange policy. I think part of the reason is that the Oriental still gets many tourists (clad in many different ways) who want to check the place out - and so the dress code, which is really only applied to non-guests, is a way to keep this flow manageable. There are probably other better ways to restrict access to a hotel's public spaces, I suppose - but as a guest (often wearing shorts - and many guests stroll down to the pool in robes, incidentally), I actually like the policy (though as a non-guest in shorts, I would obviously hate it).