Below standard baby crib

Question

Recently, I went to a hotel in Switzerland. I phoned weeks in advance to make sure they had a baby crib for my 5 month baby. They told me “Sure”.

When we arrived in the room, the crib was so old and worn that:

• It was not level
• Some metal pieces were showing out of the wood, presumably because some pieces covering them were missing. These pieces were close and sharp enough to hurt the baby (although not badly, probably)
• It was shaky
• It had drop sides, which is now prohibited in many places (but I could not find anything about where I was)

I complained and they sent someone with some tape and cloth to cover the metal parts and apologized, pretending that many unexpected kids arrived the night before.

I complained more, and they found another broken but modern crib somewhere. Together with my wife, we managed to fix it and baby slept well. The next day they changed the crib to a new one.

My question is:

Are up to standard baby cribs something I can ask for, complain about and make a big fuss about? If yes, what are my options if they don't provide one? How can I pressure them to solve the problem?

Or is it more like little chocolates on the bed: something that the hotel is giving for free, and I should already be happy like that?

Answer 1

You could argue this on the basis that, in the UK/EU for example, any hotel mattresses or beds that are bought and used for commercial use must meet strict UK & EU fire regulatory standards. You can check the mattress and it should have information on a tag as to which standards it meets. If the cot is ancient the mattress is unlikely to meet these required standards. If they have agreed to supply a cot and then supply something unsuitable with sharp pieces then you could take photos and complain or put a review on trip advisor if they do not take you seriously. Personally I was particular about baby mattresses and would take my own travel cot but I appreciate this is not always possible especially if flying and hotels should recognise this. I think as part of their customer service they could check the cot they have available and inform you of the condition of the cot in advance.