'I want hotels to introduce a rule outlawing this common pool crime'
OPINION - A lot can go wrong on holidays and most of it is out of travellers' control, from bad weather to missing luggage.
But there's one hotel crime that very much is in the control of the people who commit it, and in doing so ruin the holidays of everyone around them.
That crime is playing loud music on a wireless speaker at the hotel pool.
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The worst hotel pool crime (in my opinion) is playing loud music on portable speakers. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Not only is it rude (not everyone wants to listen to your music), it can be offensive, intimidating, or even inappropriate depending on what is played.
Just recently I was on a holiday in Bali, Indonesia at the Hotel Kumala Pantai when a group of rowdy guests rolled up to the main pool, whipped out a speaker and started playing loud house music.
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I had been enjoying the sun and serenity until they arrived but after a few minutes of listening to their music, I was fed up.
I packed up my Kindle and threw my towel over my shoulder and decided to head to the hotel's second, smaller pool.
That's the benefit of a hotel with multiple pools, right? If one is too busy or too noisy you can just head to the other.
I had been enjoying the sun and serenity until the latest culprits arrived. Getty
So you can imagine my horror when I arrived at the second pool only to discover another group of guests had already set up their own speaker and were playing loud music too.
The worst part was that my room was on the second floor directly above the pool, so I couldn't even escape it.
In fact, any guests staying in one of the rooms that faced into the courtyard where the hotel's second pool was located would have been treated to the group's favourite playlist, possibly for hours.
Most travellers go to the hotel pool to relax, not listen to your favourite playlist. Getty
I love music as much as the next person and while it's fine to crank the tunes at your backyard pool, the rules are different when you're travelling and sharing space with people.
In fact, I'd love to see more hotels implement 'no speakers' rules in their pool areas like the customary 'no running by the pool' rules.
It would help keep pool areas comfortable for everyone and if the hotel wants to create more of a party vibe, it can play its own music rather than everyone being subjected to the musical whims of a single guest or group.
