Thousands of British hotels are so unwelcoming to children that one in 25 families - around 250,000 - have cut short their stay and gone home early.
A new survey reveals that so-called family-friendly hotels are anything but. Many are ill-equipped to deal with families' holiday needs - and some are just plain rude.
One in eight parents said they had suffered frustrations in service or facilities.
The research, commissioned on behalf of Luxury Family Hotels, painted a picture of parents struggling to enjoy special time away with their families because of infuriating but common complaints about hotels.
Examples that prompted parents to pack their bags included:
•'My child was called a brat'
• 'Nothing to eat except junk food for the kids'
•'Refused entry to hotel restaurant'
•'No baby-changing facilities'
•'Under fives not allowed'
A quarter of parents complained about a lack of things to do in the evening, closely followed by 23 per cent who had experienced unfriendliness and even scowling towards their children by other guests during their hotel stay.
Another 22 per cent of those surveyed complained of feeling their children were not welcome, with one in five citing unsuitable menus and 13 per cent complaining about no children's cutlery or tableware.
Unsuitable bedding, lack of kids' clubs or nanny services and restrictive pool opening hours for kids also featured among the most common complaints regarding children and hotel stays.
Other frustrations included concerns over room size and safety, lack of privacy and late night or disco noise.
And despite familiar food, safe water and no need to take the plane or ferry, almost one in three parents said domestic hotels came up short compared to their foreign counterparts when kids were involved.
Luxury Family Hotels founder Nigel Chapman said: "Just because you have children this should not mean that you aren't able to enjoy an amazing family break that caters to all your needs.
"It's about time UK hotels sat up and took notice as the industry as a whole clearly still has a long way to go to prove that young guests are as welcome as their parents."
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