Two Women Walked Into a Hotel Breakfast Room. Another Guest Was Stunned by What She Saw – Some Thought They Should Have Been Asked to Leave

My husband travels a lot for work, and I love traveling too, as often as possible. That’s probably not surprising, considering you’re here, on my travel blog, where I share places to visit, itineraries, and useful tips for destinations such as Vienna, Paris, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UAE, and many more.

But apart from the wonderful places you can discover around the world, I also share interesting travel news and stories. Some are my own experiences, while others are situations I discover online, involving travelers, airline employees, hotel staff, and sometimes ordinary people whose vacations didn’t go quite as planned. I share these because there’s usually a lesson, some travel tips to learn, or a different perspective we may gain.

I’ve shared stories from airplanes, airports, trains, cruises, and hotels. And some of the hotel stories I’ve discovered lately have been particularly interesting.

For example, I told you what happens to stained hotel sheets, including some rather unpleasant revelations from hotel employees. I also collected several hotel front desk stories involving surprising guest requests and situations employees had to handle.

Then there was the couple who found strangers inside their hotel room while they were staying there. I also shared the story of a mother and daughter who were in bed when other guests unlocked their hotel room door using a working key card. And the incident involving a couple in Mallorca who woke up to find a stranger in their room.

Today, we’re staying in a hotel, but we’re moving away from the bedrooms and into another area: the breakfast room.

I came across a discussion about something two hotel guests did one morning, and I admit I never would have thought of doing it myself. The opinions were so different that I wanted to share the discussion with you. I’m curious to see which side you agree with. BTW: read until the end, because as you will see, it is not only about the appearance and after that, another topic (complementary) was brought into discussion, something I would never think of doing!!! (I don’t know about you). Yes, this article is like an onion – all sorts of layers unfolding, all with interesting POVs.

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Two Women Arrived at Hotel Breakfast, and Another Guest Wasn’t Impressed

On August 30, 2026, a woman using the username Nextones shared an experience on Mumsnet after an encounter at a city-center hotel.

She explained that the hotel was nice, though nothing particularly fancy, and that breakfast was included in the room rate. That morning, while she was having breakfast, two young women, apparently in their early twenties, arrived in the dining area.

What bothered her was how they were dressed, or, more precisely, the fact that they hadn’t changed out of their nightwear.

She described them as:

“wearing short pyjamas, barefoot- clearly just out of bed.”

But the original poster wasn’t only concerned about their appearance. According to her account, the women were loud and abrupt with hotel staff. She specifically mentioned the way they asked where the plates were, which she considered impolite.

She felt the whole situation showed a decline in standards and wondered whether people would have behaved like this 10 or 15 years ago. In a follow-up comment, she explained that she had been wearing casual clothes, including shorts and a hoodie, but had at least gotten dressed before coming downstairs.

She asked other Mumsnet users whether she was unreasonable to think adults shouldn’t arrive at hotel breakfast wearing pyjamas.

The discussion attracted more than 400 replies, and it soon became apparent that people had very different ideas about what was acceptable in a hotel dining room.

Many People Thought the Hotel Should Have Intervened

Many commenters agreed with the original poster. They felt that a hotel breakfast room was a public dining area and that guests should make the effort to get dressed before going there.

Some thought the hotel employees should have asked the two women to return to their rooms and change, while others argued that hotels needed clearer rules about appropriate clothing.

One commenter was particularly direct:

“The hotel should ban it.”

Another participant felt that responsibility ultimately rested with hotel management, because guests couldn’t be expected to agree on what was acceptable.

“Only the hotel itself and the staff can set and uphold the standard of behaviour it expects.”

Someone else expressed a similar opinion:

“Awful. They should have been turned away.”

There was also disagreement about whether the hotel’s price made any difference. One participant thought this behavior might be less surprising at a budget property, while others strongly objected to the idea that guests paying less for accommodation should have to accept different standards of behavior.

Some commenters even suggested complaining to the hotel or leaving a negative review if management refused to intervene. One person even recommended demanding a refund, although other participants considered that reaction excessive.

Not everyone who agreed with the original poster wanted to take things that far. Some simply said they considered pajamas inappropriate outside the bedroom and would be surprised to see other guests wearing them at breakfast.

Other Travelers Had Seen People Wearing Pajamas at Breakfast Before

Several commenters said the incident wasn’t particularly unusual, and some remembered seeing guests arrive for breakfast in nightwear many years ago.

One person recalled seeing a British family wearing pyjamas at a hotel breakfast in Paris around 25 years earlier, challenging the idea that this was exclusively a recent habit.

Another traveler described seeing people in pyjamas at hotels without the employees appearing particularly concerned.

“I’ve seen this before and staff don’t seem surprised.”

One woman remembered a stay at a four-star spa hotel where two guests arrived for breakfast wearing pyjamas, dressing gowns, and bonnets. She was surprised that nobody working there said anything.

Another participant was staying at an expensive international hotel when she joined the discussion. She reported seeing six women arrive at breakfast in pyjamas that very morning.

“I saw 6 women come to breakfast in PJs this morning.”

Others described hotels where staff asked guests to change. One commenter recalled a woman being told to leave a hotel restaurant in Cardiff because she was wearing pyjamas. According to the account, the guest returned wearing different clothes, although the commenter still found her outfit unusual.

“When she returned to the restaurant she was wearing a form fitting Lycra top and bottoms. It was strange because it was like she didn’t know how to dress in public.”

Another participant remembered seeing hotel staff ask a man to leave breakfast because of his clothing. He reportedly argued with them but eventually complied.

And while the original poster believed this habit was a relatively recent development, another commenter pointed out that people had been debating it for years:

“This has been a topic of discussion on Mumsnet for at least the last 15 years”

These were individual experiences shared by forum users, but as you can see, they suggest that different hotels, and even different employees, may respond very differently to guests arriving in nightwear. They also show this isn’t new (though I admit I was surprised to see it, as I’ve never seen someone go to breakfast in pajamas in my entire life). 

Some People Were More Concerned About the Bare Feet

While plenty of commenters disliked the pyjamas, others were more concerned about the women walking around the breakfast area without shoes. This surprised me even more – because I admit, I instantly thought about health, hygiene…

One person, who said she worked in hospitality, was surprised that employees hadn’t asked the women to put something on their feet.

“Very surprised the staff didn’t at least make them put something on their feet”

She explained that this would be considered a health and safety concern where she worked. Other participants mentioned the possibility of broken glass or something sharp on the floor.

Another commenter didn’t seem particularly interested in what people wore to breakfast, but drew the line at going barefoot.

“I don’t care what others eat there breakfast wearing. However no shoes is grim🤮”

And a third participant, who didn’t think hotel employees should have to distinguish between pyjama bottoms and ordinary trousers or shorts, agreed that footwear was a separate issue.

“But the bare feet should not have been permitted for standard health reasons.”

I can understand this concern. There are plenty of comfortable things you can put on your feet before going downstairs, and walking barefoot around a hotel dining room wouldn’t appeal to me.

However, one woman shared an experience that complicated the discussion. She remembered entering a hotel restaurant barefoot because she had injured her toe and her sandals hurt. According to her account, a waitress reacted angrily and told her to leave, which left her embarrassed.

I admit I felt her pain when reading the comment – as someone who has constant shoes/sandals issues. I travel with band-aids in my purse (even my husband has 1-2 back-up ones for me in his wallet). I have had my fingers or ankle injured many times, but I would cover them with something (I recall once using a napkin – yes, it stuck to the skin, painful to remove, but helped in the moment), but I couldnt walk barefoot because I don’t think it is healthy! Plus, I could end up with something worse – infections, cuts, etc. 

But Others Asked Why Pyjamas Were Such a Problem

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As the discussion continued, several people questioned why other guests’ clothing mattered so much.

Some said they wouldn’t personally wear pyjamas to hotel breakfast, but they had no objection to other people doing it. As long as everyone was appropriately covered and behaving respectfully, they couldn’t see how it affected anyone else’s meal.

One commenter questioned the reaction itself:

“why is it unacceptable?”

Another pointed out that strangers who weren’t interacting with you shouldn’t necessarily have the power to spoil your morning simply because you disliked what they were wearing.

A few participants thought there was something excessive about wanting to complain to hotel management over a pair of pyjamas, especially when the clothing itself wasn’t harming anyone.

And there was another argument that I found interesting: how do you actually know whether somebody is wearing pyjamas?

Some people sleep in leggings, T-shirts, or tracksuit bottoms that look like ordinary casual clothing. Others own matching loungewear they could wear outside without attracting attention.

One participant pointed out that somebody in jogging bottoms could have slept in them for several nights, while someone wearing a traditional pyjama top might have put it on fresh that morning.

The Hygiene Argument Started Another Debate

Quite a few comments focused on hygiene, with some participants assuming that clothes worn in bed would be less suitable for a dining room than ordinary daytime clothes.

Others strongly challenged that reasoning. One woman questioned the assumption that pyjamas were necessarily unhygienic, pointing out that her own morning routine sometimes involved going for a run before breakfast.

“my running kit will be much ‘worse’ than my PJs.”

Another commenter made a similar observation about ordinary clothes worn all day on public transport or while sightseeing. People might wear the same outfit for hours in hot weather and then sit down in a restaurant without anyone objecting.

One participant directly challenged those describing nightwear as dirty:

“What is so dirty about pjs?”

There were also people who pointed out that someone could shower in the evening, put on clean pyjamas, and wear them for breakfast the following morning.

Another commenter questioned how anyone could judge the hygiene of strangers simply by looking at their clothes:

“Also, how do you know they haven’t washed?”

One Woman Explained Why She Sometimes Goes to Breakfast in Pyjamas

Among the people defending more relaxed clothing choices were travelers who admitted they had worn pyjamas at hotel breakfast themselves.

One woman explained that she kept some of her old, comfortable clothes to use as pyjamas when traveling. She sometimes wore them to bed for several nights before changing into fresh clothes for the day, and she didn’t see why she should have to change before eating breakfast.

She described her usual hotel routine:

“After breakfast I then go back to room, shower, do face/hair/teeth and get into fresh clean clothes for the day.”

Another participant made an interesting observation about how difficult it can be to tell whether someone is wearing nightwear or ordinary clothes.

“Pyjamas – I sleep in a tshirt & shorts.”

Another woman described a situation in which her flight had been canceled and her luggage went missing for 24 hours. She ended up sleeping in a top she had purchased at the airport and wearing it again the following morning.

Her experience was a reminder that hotel guests may have circumstances nobody else knows about. Other participants mentioned people staying in hotels because of emergencies, including those temporarily accommodated by insurance companies or social services. In such situations, a guest might not have a suitcase full of clothes or the opportunity to follow their normal morning routine.

Several People Thought the Rudeness Was the Real Problem

There was one detail in the original post that kept coming back into the discussion: the women’s behavior toward hotel staff.

Some commenters felt that this was far more important than the clothes they wore.

In the original poster’s account, the women weren’t simply walking quietly to a table, collecting breakfast, and minding their own business. She said they were loud and abrupt with employees, and that their behavior contributed to her negative impression.

Of course, we only have her account of the interaction, and asking where the plates are isn’t automatically rude. Tone, context, and the way someone addresses staff can make a difference.

But several people made the point that politeness costs nothing, regardless of whether someone is wearing an expensive outfit, comfortable sportswear, or a pair of pyjamas.

I agree with that. I pay attention to how people treat employees, especially in hotels and restaurants. I’ve seen staff handle some difficult situations with remarkable patience, and I don’t think being on vacation gives anyone a reason to be disrespectful.

As for pyjamas, I wouldn’t wear them to a hotel breakfast myself. I prefer getting dressed before going downstairs – I wake up, shower, then go to breakfast -, even if I’m only putting on jeans and a T-shirt (I am all for comfy travel).

But I can also see why some people don’t consider another guest’s choice of clothing particularly important, as long as they’re appropriately covered and aren’t disturbing anyone.

Would You Wear Pyjamas to Hotel Breakfast?

What interested me about this discussion was how many different opinions appeared over something that initially seemed like a small incident.

Some people believed the hotel should have asked the two women to change, while others couldn’t understand why anyone would be so bothered by strangers wearing pyjamas. The debate also brought up hygiene, bare feet, generational differences, and whether hotels should have dress codes for breakfast.

And although the original poster felt standards had declined, some travelers remembered seeing exactly this sort of thing many years ago.

For me, hotel breakfast is part of the vacation experience. I enjoy sitting down to eat, planning what we’re going to visit that day, and getting ready to explore somewhere new. I’m usually dressed before leaving the room, although that doesn’t mean I’m wearing anything formal.

I’ve never considered going down to breakfast in my pyjamas. Until I read this discussion, I hadn’t realized how many people thought it was perfectly reasonable.

Now I’m curious about your opinion.

Would you wear pyjamas to breakfast at a hotel? Would it bother you to see other guests doing it, or would you simply enjoy your breakfast and ignore what everyone else was wearing? And do you think hotels should have a dress code for their breakfast rooms?

Can You Wear Pajamas to Hotel Breakfast?

Whether you can wear pajamas to hotel breakfast depends on the hotel’s dress code. Some properties explicitly prohibit sleepwear in their dining rooms or other shared areas, while others have more relaxed rules. If your hotel doesn’t specify a dress code, casual daytime clothing and shoes are generally the safest choice.

There is also a difference between something being allowed and other guests considering it appropriate. As this discussion shows, people can have very different expectations, even when they’re eating breakfast at the same hotel. 

Source: Mumsnet – AIBU to think hotel breakfast in pyjamas is not acceptable?