Banned from breastfeeding at hotel

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Newbie_hk

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A hotel just banned me from breastfeeding at their place.

I just got the shock of my life when I went to hotel in Causeway Bay this morning to have morning tea with visiting friends. I arrived early and asked for a quiet corner at their lobby cafe. There was only one other guest there. My bub was getting hungry so I took out my bebe au lait cape and pacifier/dummy on the table. Just as I was about to scoop up my baby, the waitress came up to me and asked if I was breastfeeding. I said yes and she said "you cannot breastfeed here".

I was shocked. I asked her why and she asked if I was a guest at their hotel, I said no and I was afraid she might be thinking I was there just to breastfeed. I told her I am here to have morning tea with 3 other friends and that I will be discreet with my cape. She just looked at me and repeated ?you cannot breastfeed here?. At this point, I was livid and firmly told her ?no, I have the right to feed my baby? and promptly scooped up my baby, planted myself in the chair and asked for the menu.

Do hotels have the right to ban breastfeeding at their premises? They are considered public places after all aren't they?

I want to write a complaint to the manager but I need to know where HKG stands in terms of breastfeeding in someone?s premises.
 
Never mind the legal technicalities -- name and shame is the way to go.
Write a complaint letter to the general manager. It might not change their policies but, trust me, these things do get brought up at meetings, etc.
Write a letter to the SCMP. They do allow you to do so anonymously, if you wish.
My HK Chinese sister in law breastfeeds in public -- discreetly and with a large shawl over her. I think (I hope) attitudes are changing.
 
I'd also like to know which hotel - there was a recent complaint thread posted on Geobaby about a certain bookstore and the response just by posting it on Geobaby was that the store apologized to the woman and educated the employee. I would hope the same would be done in this scenario.

I am sometimes embarrassed to BF in public, regardless of the fact that I also always use a nursing cover (which quite frankly is annoying and difficult to manage, esp in this recent hot weather), and if something like this happened to me I can't imagine how horrible it would feel. So sorry this happened to you, Newbie, and shame on this establishment. I am proud, however, of your reaction. Good for you!
 
Sounds like things haven't changed too much, but there was a protest by breast-feeding mothers at the Peninsula in 1999 after a woman was asked to feed her baby in the toilets!
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Gracey said:
Never mind the legal technicalities -- name and shame is the way to go.
Write a complaint letter to the general manager. It might not change their policies but, trust me, these things do get brought up at meetings, etc.
Write a letter to the SCMP. They do allow you to do so anonymously, if you wish.
My HK Chinese sister in law breastfeeds in public -- discreetly and with a large shawl over her. I think (I hope) attitudes are changing.
Click to expand...

would write to the SCMP - but it does not take anonymous letters anymore...at least not the letters to the editor. fact is though, i wouldn't hesitate putting my name on such a letter - it's outrageous thing to happen in this day and age - especially if you were doing it discreetly! quite a scary thought really - more people should know this kind of thing happens and boycott this hotel.
 
Please share which hotel so I will never go there! They should be ashamed of themselves! I definitely say write to the SCMP.
 
The whole notion if being against nursing seems counterintuitive to me. What a shame! And a relatively modern concept to be anti-breastfeeding at that, as formula wasn't really widely used and marketed until the 1950's.

I always felt nursing your baby leaned more to the conservative side as it ties the Mom a bit more to a motherly role... I know this is not necessarily true with the advent of the breast pump and many working Mom's nurse their LO's now days but still... and formula frees a woman up to working out of the house.
 
NAME AND SHAME this establishment for sure...write to all the papers. You were being discreet by using a cover and I'm sure no one was bothered by it. Who makes a policy AGAINST breastfeeding. Sure, they can do whatever they want, but you were feeding your hungry baby. Would they rather have a screaming baby? LLL should also be notified. Breastfeeding is being encouraged by the HK public system...why not get everyone on board?
 
Thank you everyone. I'm loving this whole Name & Shame business! I talked to LLL and the woman over the phone was surprised.

So write this down people: The hotel is Park Lane right above Ikea in Causeway Bay.

They will be feeling the wrath of a woman scorned!
 
I'm very surprised to read about this place, as I've been there many times, while breastfeeding... and even meeting there with some other bf mums ! It might be just one employee problem, but it's worth letting them know about it. I'm quite sure they have no problem with BF mums there. If you contact them I'd be interested to know what their answer is....
 
Let 'em know and you can sign my name to that letter too. Total BS and that employee should be reprimanded as well. I will never go to that place--or any other that is not BF friendly. They need to evolve a bit.

And my reaction would have been at least as strong as yours. I just don't tolerate that sort of thing anymore now that I've been in HK awhile. My view is that they "work for me", not the other way around--as long as I'm the paying customer.
 
Good on you for standing up for yourself and doing what you know is right rather than slinking away in shame. I had a similar thing happen on government property no less (a museum) and I just ignored the security guard who was trying to shoo me away and eventually told her on no uncertain terms not to disturb my baby and I. She eventually backed down and left me alone.

If you fail to get a satisfactory response from hotel management, maybe organise a peaceful nurse-in?
 
It could just be a young / inexperienced / ignorant staff person. It's worth it to find out if the hotel actually has a policy, or if it's just a fluke. Writing a letter to them will force them to bring up the issue.

Ozmerc -- Once I got in trouble at a government museum for taking notes in a notepad! So, yes, sometimes these mini-crackdowns are just random.
 
Yeah lets organise a 'nurse-in' I'll be there for sure and can round up a few more BF mamas too! That'll show em (or just get us in a lot of trouble hehe).

Seriously though, this does make me really really sad. What has happened to the world? Why is it ok to show breasts in a sexual nature (TV, magazines, beaches etc.) but not for their natural purpose of nurturing a baby?

I would be so angry if this happened to my baby and I. He isn't really interested in solids yet so BM is his only food source. I'm not going to deprive my baby so my only option would be to leave :(
 
I don't bf anymore, but have been many times, in many places, and have never been told to leave, but if I had, I can tell you I would raise my voice loud enough to make the situation very embarrassing and would ask for the manager, but I would not leave !
 
I agree that it's worth finding out if this is an inexperienced member of staff or a hotel policy before going any further, you can email the hotel with a link to this thread to find out. If they don't know then they can't correct it. However, if it's a hotel policy then it's a whole 'nother issue...
 
Make a formal complaint to the hotel management. Personally I'd leave the word "discrete" out of it as it's culturally dependent, and focus on the rude staff member and how ridiculous the whole situation was.
 
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Completely agree with Name-and Shame suggestion here. I have exclusively bf for 11 months. And have bf everywhere in HK - restaurants, coffee houses, taxi, beach, malls. Even at "non-expat" places like coffee shop at Tung Chung mall. Have never been stopped or pointed at or anything.

The situation is totally appalling. I dont bf anymore but would definitely join any nurse-in gathering being planned.
 
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