A father shared a strange encounter with a fellow hotel guest who took his laptop into the pool and then demanded the children not splash it.
The Reddit user, with the username ‘parothed28’, posted about their annoying exchange on the ‘slightly infuriating’ subreddit, where he explained that his children, who were playing in the pool, were asked not to make too much of a fuss.
The post, which garnered more than 16,000 upvotes and more than 1,000 comments, also included a picture of the pool area. The children’s faces are blurred, but the photo shows how close the guest’s laptop is to the pool.
The ground around the pool is also shown to be incredibly wet, leading some to question why anyone would carry a fragile and expensive electronic device there.
“Since the entire floor looks wet…seems like a risky proposition,” one user wrote in a comment that received more than 6,000 upvotes.
The laptop appears several meters away from the edge of the pool. The father who took the photo posted it on Reddit, seeking opinions from others and over 1,000 obligated people.
Another wrote: “Who in their right mind makes the decision to sit in that tunnel of dank noise?”
Another pointed out what many thought was obvious: “If you don’t want your laptop to get splashed, don’t take it somewhere where splashes are the norm.”
Others took issue with the laptop being so close to the pool, arguing that if children were splashing around 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 should probably get it under control,” someone wrote.
They continued: “People should be able to sit on chairs without getting splashed repeatedly or be able to put towels on chairs without them getting wet.”
One user raised the possibility that the guest with the laptop was working remotely while caring for his own children.
Michele Massa, travel expert and CEO of Ibiza Summer Villas, told Newsweek that it’s not wise to bring electronic devices into 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 move electronic devices closer to the water was a risk.
“We advise customers not to bring any expensive water-rejecting equipment so close to our pools, as even if we are careful, it is easy for an accident to occur,” Massa said.
Massa took a look at the photo included in the Reddit thread and concluded: “There are dedicated areas in hotels where the use of laptops for work or personal purposes can be done safely, but an indoor swimming area is not a of them.”
He added: “If you decide to bring expensive equipment into the pool, I would simply recommend that you insure it accordingly as there is usually nothing we can do for you if it is damaged.”