hotels

[louie12]

we are a family of 6 people,and we are booking for a vacation, most of the hotels ask for 4 or 5 people in a room.my sister is coming with us and she has three children, if we move one of our children to her room, we will have two rooms with 5 people each. when i booked the hotel, i did not tell them there is going to be 5 in each room and they require 4 in each room. would it be morally ok, not to mention that we are 5 family members in order not book anothe room, which will make a total of 3 rooms.it would cost us an extra $540.00

thankyou

 

[dulcissima]

I think those rules are set up so that hotels don’t end up with a lot of adults sharing a room. I don’t think they are really intended for families, especially considering that a lot of hotels have children stay free policies. I think the way that you are booking your arrangements makes sense for you and for your family, and you aren’t really putting the hotel out in any way.

In the future though, what you might want to try that works out really well when you have a lot of kids is to get a suite. It makes a lot more sense than getting an extra room.

 

[bluerose]

Some hotels offer a rollaway bed which raises the room capacity to five (even though there are enough beds for four). There is usually a small charge for the extra bed (about $10), but we’ve taken along a chaise lounge, even if there were only four of us because two were teenage cousins of the opposite sex. If you stay at a Comfort Suites (no endorsement here; just telling our experience), you can get a room with two queen size beds and a sitting area that has a couch in it that someone can sleep on. Some of them even have adjoining rooms.

Hope this information helps.

 

[maryjk]

I think those rules are set up so that hotels don’t end up with a lot of adults sharing a room.

I was told that they were set up for fire safety.

But I have always heard it was 5 per room, not 4. But it is up to the hotel to place the limit.

Morally, you are lying to save money. Is that okay?

 

[Kanda]

I don’t think children are really included, but you could always call the hotel and inquire. You don’t have to say you have already booked a room, or tell them who you are. Just call and ask.

We are a family of 5, but when we stayed at a hotel where the room limit was 4, they didn’t care. Of course they wouldn’t require our 4 year old to have a separate room!

 

[kage_ar]

A few years ago, we needed to stay in a hotel for 2 weeks. When making reservations at one of those “extended stay” places, they asked how many people - I said two adults and our 8 year old child. I was promptly told that they had a strict limit of two people per room, and children were not exempt from this policy. We would have to rent two rooms.

I called around and found a different hotel.

Best to check the policy of the hotel re the number of children in a room with adults - better safe than having a moment during your trip.

 

[maryjk]

I don’t think children are really included, but you could always call the hotel and inquire. You don’t have to say you have already booked a room, or tell them who you are. Just call and ask.

We are a family of 5, but when we stayed at a hotel where the room limit was 4, they didn’t care. Of course they wouldn’t require our 4 year old to have a separate room!

Its not that the youngest or even young child would have to be in a room alone. What they told my sister was that they allowed 5 in a room, they do not care how the group split up.

My sister ended up in one room with their daughter and my BIL was in another with their sons. Another time, they got two rooms right next to each other and opened the door between the rooms, parents on one side, children on the other.

It was really because fire regulations and safety. They were not just trying to get more money out of her.

It the hotel doesn’t care, then go for it. Maybe for them, they are allowed, by safety regulations, to have more in a room. But if you call and they tell you that they do care, you are then lying to save money. And possibly endangering the lives of the other guests if there is an emergency. Up to you if you want to do it.

 

[annb]

In the future you might also look into renting a condo or cabin… They are often more flexible for large families and end up being cheaper as well. They also sometimes have kitchens, so you can save some money by having some of your meals there.

 

[lizaanne]

A hotel has to consider the cost of bodies per room. How much water, bed linens, heat/AC, other amenities, will a given number of bodies use during a given period of time. All these things cost them money, which they need to figure into their pricing structure. They give you a price for a room based on the number of bodies in the room. A 200lb man uses the same amount of bed linens and shower water as a 12 year old girl (maybe less, considering how long some kids can be in the shower).

A business is a business - they have costs they need to recoup, and profit to make. They have limits set for various reasons, not to mention fire code as someone previously noted.

So - you tell me - do you think it’s ok to tell them one thing and do something else?

~Liza

 

[kage_ar]

In the future you might also look into renting a condo or cabin… They are often more flexible for large families and end up being cheaper as well. They also sometimes have kitchens, so you can save some money by having some of your meals there.

Fantastic idea!

 

[Liberanosamalo]

I’m not sure if for all practical purposes the 6 month old counts. That’s a very small person and I think in your case it doesn’t matter.

 

[dulcissima]

A hotel has to consider the cost of bodies per room. How much water, bed linens, heat/AC, other amenities, will a given number of bodies use during a given period of time. All these things cost them money, which they need to figure into their pricing structure. They give you a price for a room based on the number of bodies in the room. A 200lb man uses the same amount of bed linens and shower water as a 12 year old girl (maybe less, considering how long some kids can be in the shower).

A business is a business - they have costs they need to recoup, and profit to make. They have limits set for various reasons, not to mention fire code as someone previously noted.

So - you tell me - do you think it’s ok to tell them one thing and do something else?

~Liza

When your kids are little and sleeping three to a bed, sharing a bath, and sharing towels, no it is not an extra expense for the hotel. If you are getting a roll away bed and paying extra for it, then that additional cost for the hotel is already worked into the equation. This is one reason why a lot of hotels have a kids stay free policy.

The OP may be booking his hotel online and that is where he is getting the impression about the 4 person limit. I know I’ve run into that dilemma when using expedia.com and it will indicate that we are over the persons per room limit. When I have called though, the hotels are fine with the kids being in the room. My feeling after having had enough experiences like this is that I don’t need to be scrupulous about it.

 

[Sierrah]

I’ve always had good luck with Priceline’s name youe own price feature. I never pay full hotel prices and often get a room at only a quarter of the stardard price. The trick is to start low and bid for the 4 star first at a low price. You can alway bid up or change the star rating if you bid doesn’t get accepted. You can also choose your hotel often within a few streets of certain locations. I don’t have any experience traveling with kids…my family always camped when traveling with kids but as long as you do not hav 8 or to people to a room why should the hotel care how many will be staying there. You can always bring sleeping bags for those that don’t have enough beds or couches.