According to a report by ECO, there are a number of establishments that are not prepared to receive children as they do not have, for example, connecting rooms, children's menus or cribs and extra beds, which ends up alienating families with minors. And taking into account the “demographic evolution, in which people marry later and have fewer and fewer children”, this could even become a “growing trend” in the world of national hospitality, according to Neoturis.

There are also cases of large hotels with several swimming pools, but that reserve one of them only for adult guests, or that the spas practice specific hours only for adults, exemplifies Neoturis.

This is a commercial strategy of “market positioning” and “alignment with customer expectations”, defends the Hotel Association of Portugal (AHP), adding that hotel units can “position themselves for the segment they deem most appropriate”, leaving “the customer to make their own choice”.

Legal position

In Decree-Law 15/2014, which establishes the legal regime for the installation, operation and operation of tourist resorts, Article 48 states that “access to tourist resorts is free”. Only in cases of special events, such as a hotel being booked by a company, for example, or in situations of “normal functioning disturbance” (such as scenarios of disrespect or drunkenness), that “the operator or person responsible for the development tourist may refuse access to it”.

Deco told ECO that the imperative is “freedom of choice” taking into account that “in the same way that there are parents who are horrified by places where entry with children is not allowed”, there are others who “thank you and choose for the opportunity of a weekend without screaming, flying soup, tantrums or jumping in the pool”.

The consumer protection association, which stresses that it has not received complaints or complaints because of these situations, also considers that “guests with children have the right to information”. And since the options without this restriction “are more than those that forbid them entry, parents thus have freedom of choice for other diversified spaces that do not collide with the options of those who opt for this segment, when they want to escape their routine, work and stress”.

Despite the fact that the refusal of children in tourist developments has no legal support, “the development may define admission policies, provided that they are publicised and known by guests in advance”, underlines the consumer protection association.