A boutique Surbiton hotel has been criticised for a foul-mouthed social media response to a mother who claimed her group and their young children were turned away from the empty lounge area in case “businessmen wanted to use it”.

Hotel Bosco, in St Mark’s Hill, was given a one-star review on Facebook by mum Rebecca Normand who visited with “five other mums with prams” and was turned away because of a policy not to have more than “four mothers with really young babies in”.

Underneath her post someone with access to the hotel’s official Facebook account has written: “And Hotel Bosco gives zero f**ks.”

The comment has since been deleted, as have the ones criticising the hotel's response.

Mrs Normand’s post claimed staff told her that she and her friends could not use the lounge “just in case business men [came in] or meetings took place later”.

It was written on March 16 but the Hotel Bosco response was posted yesterday.

Duty manager Michael Tobiasiewicz said he remembered Mrs Normand coming in but could not say who had posted the response.

He said: “No one contacted us formally. [Mrs Normand] just wrote on Facebook, which we don’t find good.

“I have to say I am really surprised about the comment underneath. I don’t know [who wrote it.]”

Mrs Normand is not the only mother to complain about the hotel’s strict policy on children, which was brought in in 2014.

Alison Filkin took to the hotel’s Facebook page in February 2015 to say: “Was astounded that myself and a group of other mothers were chucked out stating management’s policy of no more than four children as it needs to be kept free for business lunches.

“Not only is this entirely discriminatory it was also only 10am and the place was entirely empty.”

A review on Trip Adviser from last year reads: “A bunch of us mums used to visit here frequently with our babies.

"Today we were asked to leave as we had too many prams (three) and they needed the space for lunchtime business meetings.

"Despite the fact it was 10am and that there was not a single other customer in the entire place, they kicked us out.”

A person identifying themselves as the hotel’s customer relations manager has replied to some of the earlier social media complainants.

She said: “The hotel has been struggling with the volume of NCT groups frequenting the hotel lounge with in excess of 12 parents and babies in arms on regular occasions.

The hotel in St Mark's Hill

"Obviously this volume has the potential to impact on our business and ability to trade for lunch, coffees and meetings.

“We are a boutique hotel and have a duty of care to our resident guests to provide an environment that’s suitable and in keeping with the hotel.

“We have therefore taken the difficult decisions to limit service to groups of in excess of four mothers with really young babies.”