Hotel Policy Concerns
I’ve travelled to Egypt a number of times with my family, and we’ve always stayed in Sharm El Sheikh without any issues. This time we decided to try Hurghada and found a hotel that looked really nice online. However, when I tried to book for myself, my wife, and my 12-year-old child, the system kept forcing me to book two separate rooms.
I called the hotel thinking it was a mistake, only to be told that their policy is that once a child turns 12, they must have a separate room. I explained there is absolutely no way I would allow a 12-year-old child to stay alone in a hotel room, especially in another country. The response was shocking — they said we didn’t have to use the second room, but we would still have to pay for it.
I’ve been on hundreds of holidays over the years and have never come across a policy like this before. To me, it feels like money-grabbing at its worst. What’s even more concerning is that some families may actually put their child in the separate room because they’ve already paid for it, which raises serious safeguarding and safety concerns.
I found the whole experience disappointing and very anti-family. I checked several other hotels in the region and none of them had this policy. I’m also surprised this hotel is part of the H Rewards group, as policies like this focus more on profit margins than family experience and customer care.
Hotel
(steigenbergeraldauresort.com)