We recently faced a restriction for children under 16 to enter sauna area of a spa complex in a hotel in Serbia--they are only allowed into a pool, but not into multiple varieties of sauna. No single convincing reason was given, versions from different representatives included:
- high temperatures impose a serious risk, and hotel cannot give entire responsibility to parents
- same for infection risk
- an entry ticket for child has a serious discount compared to adults, and hence the restriction in facilities available
- children can make too much noise
No notice is given on a web site, nor in our emails with an agency when booking. But there is a paper notice on a door leading to the sauna area.
Update: Our child is 5.5 years old. The reason I'm surprised with the restriction is that we've never seen anything similar before in Europe: in a hotel in Mayrhofen, Austria for 2.5-years-old; in ClubMed in Chamonix, France for 3.5-years-old; in several public baths in Budapest, Hungary, one of which is also part of a hotel, and children of all ages are daily visitors of sauna.
Two questions:
- is such a restriction so ubiquitous in Europe and a common knowledge, that a hotel with at least half clientele coming from outside Serbia (and ~25% from outside EU) should not give any advance notice on it?
- how can be the restriction reasonably overcome? What arguments can be helpful in negotiations?