Monster Mountain

No monsters:

An Austrian hotel owner has banned children - but says pet dogs will always be welcome.

Owner Roland Ballner, 38, said: "I have just had the hotel redecorated for more than two million euros - kids will put their dirty paw-prints on the white walls, stand on the white leather sofas in their dirty shoes, and scream and run around and disturb other guests."

Sounds reasonable to me. Further:

"My guests have a right to quiet and relaxation without the noise of children. Parents seem to feel they are here to relax and wash their hands of their children's bad behaviour."

*ding-ding-ding-ding* We have a winner! Give the man a cigar. The last thing I'd want to see on a nice Alpine vacation is some snot-nosed curtain climber which is allowed by those biologically responsible for its existence to run free like a chimp in a rain forest. I'm certainly not implying that all parents allow such behavior--but it doesn't take many bad apples to exhaust people's patience where unruly children are concerned.

Besides, it's the owner's private property. He sets the rules. Don't like it? Don't stay there.