A parent has shared a bizarre encounter with a fellow hotel guest who took his laptop to the pool and then demanded children not splash on it.
The Reddit user, who goes by ‘parothed28’, posted about her annoying conversation to the ‘mildly infuriating’ subreddit, where she explained that her children – who were playing in the pool – were asked not to make too much of a fuss.
The post, which received more than 16,000 votes and more than 1,000 comments, also included a photo of the pool. The children’s faces are blurred, but the photo shows how close the guest’s laptop is to the pool.
The floor around the pool also appears to be incredibly wet, prompting some to wonder why you would bring a fragile, expensive electronic device there in the first place.
“Considering the whole floor looks wet… that seems like a risky proposition,” one user wrote in a comment that received more than 6,000 votes.
The laptop is pictured a few meters away from the edge of the pool. The parent who took the photo posted it on Reddit, seeking others’ opinions, and more than 1,000 people chimed in
Another wrote: ‘Who even decides to sit in that humid sound tunnel?’
Another pointed out what seemed obvious to many: “If you don’t want water on your laptop, don’t take it anywhere where water is the norm.”
Others disagreed that the laptop was even so close to the pool, arguing that if the children were splashing so violently, parents should intervene.
“That person was crazy to bring a laptop in there, but honestly, if your kid’s splashing goes that far outside the pool they probably need to be restrained,” one person wrote.
They continued: ‘People should be able to sit on the chairs without being repeatedly splashed, or put their towels on the chairs without getting soaked.’
One user raised the possibility that the guest was working remotely with the laptop while watching his own children.
Michele Massa, travel expert and CEO of Ibiza Summer Villas, told Newsweek that it is not wise to bring electronic devices to hotel pools
Newsweek, the outlet that first reported on the viral Reddit thread, interviewed Michele Massa, a travel expert and CEO of Ibiza Summer Villas, who said the decision to bring electronics near water was a risk.
“We advise customers not to bring expensive water-repellent equipment so close to our pools because even if we are careful, an accident can easily happen,” Massa said.
Massa looked at the photo in the Reddit thread and concluded: “There are designated areas in hotels where using laptops for work or personal reasons can be done safely, but an indoor swimming area is not one of them.”
He added: ‘If you decide to take expensive equipment to the pool I would advise you to insure it accordingly as there is usually nothing we can do for you if it becomes damaged.’