Aventine

The smarter hotels will have a separate family or kids lounge like GH Seoul was forced to do.

craigthemif

This pretty much nails it, although perhaps unintentionally.

Most people love their own little angels (even though many are actually little monsters), and don't care much for everybody else's kids.

When you're travelling with your own kids, you are scandalised by not being catered for. When you're travelling without and just want a quiet drink and snack, you get annoyed at strangers bringing their kids and then not ensuring that they behave appropriate to the venue.

As mentioned by others with examples, a truly well-managed hotel will cater for children elsewhere.

thucanhho

Expecting the same treatment for a guest with kids as guest without kids is NOT asking to be catered to.

It is a generalization to say that ALL parents don't try to control their kids and that ALL kids misbehave in the lounge.

rwm818

I've stayed in GH S'pore a number of times. I was thinking they do have a "kids lounge" room off to the side? But maybe not.

I know for sure GH Dubai does...and several others I've been to (as others have said, primarily in the ME/Asia region)

SP03

Yes, there is a small room to the right of the stairs.

MarkOK

If we were talking about a swimming pool, then sure, I would say excluding kids is just a petty grouchy thing to do. But for a lounge during happy hour? I don't have any problem with kid restrictions during happy hour. What is she to do? Sit and stare at the ceiling? I don't think so. She can enjoy a movie in the room and my wife and I will have a couple cocktails (and yeah, sometimes I leave my kid in the room alone, what a monster I am). As for breakfast, I don't see why kids should be disallowed, but if I get free breakfast at the restaurant instead, then I'd be more than happy to let the lounge exclude kids too.

As for airport lounges, I would have a problem with kid exclusions. My kid has a right to a comfy chair to read her book next to me just as much as an old grouch does.

OsakaWino

That of course is mostly not true. Depending on their age, in most cases children stay free, and then of course with lounge access they eat free...

Which is why many lounges are packed with families on weekends.

I've never understood the logic of kids stay/eat policies, and I especially cannot stand the gall of most North Americans complaining that their teenagers aren't comped in most of the rest of the world.

m0hamed

Most Australian hotels prevent children from club lounges in the evening because cocktails are being served.

Some will accommodate families with drinks and food in a separate part of the hotel but not all.

Jaimito Cartero

My last time in the GH lounge 5 years ago, kids were definitely allowed. Some were pretty obnoxious.

I have nothing against kids in the lounge if they’re not disruptive. I have my own monster, who is too young to leave in the room alone. A separate club room is a good solution, so we don’t have to go one at a time to the lounge.

gusg

The Hyatt Regency Montreal doesn't allow children in the lounge after 5pm because alcohol is being served. It's not much of a burden since the lounge is not worth spending any time in, adult or otherwise.

MarkOK

Well the logic is rather simple -- families make up a key customer group that fills hotels on weekends and other 'slow periods' and so hotels compete to attract them.

In this arena, the one thing that I find myself being a grouch about is the 'family' pricing for zoo/aquarium type memberships. At many places, my family of 3 (2 adults, 1 child) pays the same price for a 'family membership' as a family of 6 (or more) and it is a venue that is mostly oriented for the kids fun to begin with. And, then there is things like sibling discounts at child-care (which sometimes isn't much, but sometimes is steep enough to be off-putting) -- these are the types of things that make me feel like I am subsidizing other families paying full freight for my one kid.

gspurr

AFter reading through this thread I am still not clear as to what the ultimate answer to the original question is. A few have mentioned a smaller room attached to the Club. Is this room still there and are families allowed to use it at any time during Club hours?

I think a "family area" in clubs works fairly well if this rule is enforced and it is separate enough from the rest of the club. The GH Bangkok has a room that is used primarily for families and I was very happy to take my young kids in there where they wouldn't disturb others. I don't think, however, that the hotel has any sort of official policy on families having to use this room. The HR Da Nang has a clearly marked adults only area, which is probably a godsend for adult only travellers at this very family oriented resort.

SP03

Yes, it is still there. I was just there last week.

There is no elevator access to the club lounge floor. When you walk up to the top floor, there's a podium facing you. The main club lounge is to the left, but there's a decent sized room on the right. At first I didn't know why the room existed. After reading through the thread here, now it makes sense. There's a very large TV there too.

zombietooth

I've stayed there many times and the policy is strictly enforced. The policy may be a response to Singapore's liquor laws.

Welltended3

They do not serve alcohol before 5. It is very crowded in there so I was glad not to have to compete for seating with the under 12 crowd. Call me mean, but the NY GH Club is a real nightmare during holiday periods with kids eating dinner for free.