Families feel ‘ripped off' by UK seaside breaks

Families feel they are being ripped off on seaside breaks in the UK with only one in five parents believing British holidays hotels offer good value, research revealed today.

Almost three quarters of the 2,000 parents surveyed by Mother & Baby magazine and Mothercare said holiday hotels see babies and young children as a nuisance.

One in five said they had been turned away by hoteliers simply because they had youngsters with them.

Just over half of respondents said their room "wasn't as clean as it should have been", while two thirds said the meals on offer for children were unhealthy - such as chicken nuggets and fries - or poor quality.

Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, admitted some of the more rundown seaside resorts were in a state of disrepair, but he described the survey's wide-ranging attack on the hotel industry as unfair.

"Hotels are like high-street shops. Some will be family-friendly because that is the market they are interested in, while others will be more adult," he said. "People really do need to research."

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By Daniel Thomas

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