Families of 5+ and hotels

[hsmamainva]

Our 1st option is always a suite hotel. I love the ones with a little kitchenette, so that we can bring in snacks and drinks!

 

Our 2nd option is two connecting rooms. When the kids were younger, I would be in one room with the girls and my hubby would be in another one with the boys. We would keep the connecting doors open so it would be like one giant room.

 

Now that the kids are older, it's usually my hubby and I in one room and the kids in the other one.

 

I've found that some hotels are more flexible than others about squeezing in 5 or more people. Holiday Inns are usually accommodating ... same with Quality Inns, Comfort Inns, and Days Inns. Your mileage, of course, may vary. ;)

[Guest Momofthreechildren]

Have you tried the Room For 5 Website?

 

They provide info on hotels that can sleep 5 or more, they also state which hotels provide rollaways which is sometimes a lot cheaper than getting a suite with sofa bed.

[momofkhm]

We've been able to get one room. I usually do call the hotel directly and request suite even at hotels that don't have them. Often a suite means there is a mini-fridge and microwave and a fold out couch. There have been a few times that we have gotten a roll-away.

 

When we go to the family reunion, my folks put one or two kids in their room. It depends on who wants to sleep with Nana and Papa. It either both girls or just ds.

 

At your kids' ages, I wouldn't leave them alone in the room even if I was just downstairs in the same hotel.

[KingM]

Lie.

 

I never make reservations for 5. I make them for 4.

 

I've done this at least 30-50 nights over the years we've had 3 kids, and I have never once had an issue -- that's at hotels from $80 - $250/night.

 

Please don't lie like this. I own a small inn and there's a very good reason why occupancy is set at a certain level, including septic system and fire regulations. We're also far more likely to get noise complaints from other guests. What is especially frustrating for me is that we have larger, family style rooms that will sleep 6-8, and yes, they are slightly more expensive, but booking the right sized room for the right sized group avoids a lot of problems. Believe it or not, there are extra costs associated with higher occupancy. Four people in a room wears out the carpet and everything else in the room twice as fast as two people in the room. That extra five or ten bucks is not a family tax.

 

I'm sorry if I sound cranky, but this sort of thing has caused me a great deal of headache over the years. I include in the same category as drunk, noisy guests, smoking in the rooms, people sneaking into the hot tub after hours or nude hot tubbing, and people sneaking pets into non-pet, allergy-friendly rooms.

 

Don't do it. It's wrong.

[prairiegirl]

We just got back from a trip where we had to spend six nights on the road. We only encountered one hotel that would not let us stay in one room (there are 5 of us.) We did not stay there as we could not afford two rooms. We had no problems with the other hotels that we stayed in.

[Canadianmumof5]

Please don't lie like this. I own a small inn and there's a very good reason why occupancy is set at a certain level, including septic system and fire regulations. We're also far more likely to get noise complaints from other guests. What is especially frustrating for me is that we have larger, family style rooms that will sleep 6-8, and yes, they are slightly more expensive, but booking the right sized room for the right sized group avoids a lot of problems. Believe it or not, there are extra costs associated with higher occupancy. Four people in a room wears out the carpet and everything else in the room twice as fast as two people in the room. That extra five or ten bucks is not a family tax.

 

I'm sorry if I sound cranky, but this sort of thing has caused me a great deal of headache over the years. I include in the same category as drunk, noisy guests, smoking in the rooms, people sneaking into the hot tub after hours or nude hot tubbing, and people sneaking pets into non-pet, allergy-friendly rooms.

 

Don't do it. It's wrong.

 

I was with you on the honesty part but you lost me on the rest.

 

Seriously? Comparing large families to the hooligans?

 

And FWIW, the majority of hotels that do have larger rooms/suites charge a much higher rate for those than a standard room - so it is effect, a head tax on larger families. When we booked a hotel recently, it was actually cheaper for us to book 2 separate rooms than a large suite. And they didn't have adjoining rooms so it meant our family was split up.....nice.

[KingM]

I was with you on the honesty part but you lost me on the rest.

 

Seriously? Comparing large families to the hooligans?

 

People who break the rules of the hotel for whatever reason cause headaches at a much higher rate than people who don't.

 

And FWIW, the majority of hotels that do have larger rooms/suites charge a much higher rate for those than a standard room - so it is effect, a head tax on larger families. When we booked a hotel recently, it was actually cheaper for us to book 2 separate rooms than a large suite. And they didn't have adjoining rooms so it meant our family was split up.....nice.

I don't know about most hotels, but that's not my policy. For us, it is $10 extra for anyone six and older beyond the standard occupancy of two, which roughly covers the extra wear and tear, plus the cost of breakfast (included with the room) for the extra guests. The family-sized suites are per room, since we have some couples who simply want the kitchen and the greater space, and the rooms are significantly less than getting two standard rooms.

 

The majority of families follow the rules and are some of my favorite guests. The ones who don't, however, are likely to break other rules (and things). This is my experience from owning an inn for the last eight years.

 

And no, to be fair even the worst families are still not as difficult as unsupervised groups of college-aged kids.

 

ETA: My wife pointed out that the suites are significantly more expensive to maintain, as well. They have kitchens with plumbing and appliances to maintain, they have more beds and more linens, more carpet space to replace, higher heating costs, and take significantly more time to clean when guests check out.

Edited January 6, 2012 by KingM

[angela in ohio]

I don't know about most hotels, but that's not my policy. For us, it is $10 extra for anyone six and older beyond the standard occupancy of two, which roughly covers the extra wear and tear, plus the cost of breakfast (included with the room) for the extra guests. The family-sized suites are per room, since we have some couples who simply want the kitchen and the greater space, and the rooms are significantly less than getting two standard rooms.

 

We often get suites, and they are usually $20-50 more than a regular room, so it's still less than two rooms (plus you get a fridge/micro and table usually.) This weekend, we are staying at a hotel that was $18 more for a suite than the standard "2 Queen" room.

 

We sometimes book a room with 2 beds and a foldout couch and then ask for a free upgrade to a suite, and we get it almost every time (I always join the free loyalty program.)

[vonfirmath]

• You wouldn't have to sit with your kids in the dark, would you? Can they sleep with the light on? I know it's not ideal, but is an option.

Or sit in the bathroom/have the bathroom light on and lie next to a door that is cracked open so you can read. This is what I did when my son was sleeping and I wasn't ready to go to bed yet.

[TammyinTN]

We stayed in places that had suites that way it wasn't an issue.

[Blessedchaos]

We usually book through Hotwire and the max they let you put in is for 4. Once I make my reservation I call to confirm my reservation and inform them that we have three children. I've never, ever had any problem. Some hotels charge a small fee for the extra person, but many just consider us a party of 4 so we don't have to pay it.

 

The only time we had to book two rooms was in Nagasaki, Japan. The rooms were TINY. Since we had only one credit card type key per room (which had to be in the slot to have the lights on in the room), it really sucked. I would never voluntarily do that again.

[swellmomma]

I call and book rather than doing it online. I am a single parent of 4 and will not allow my children to have a separate room in a hotel even if connecting. Typically I explain the issue, request a room with 2 kings/queens or with 2 doubles and a cot or fold out. The girls share a bed with me and the boys share. Or little dd shares with me, the boys share and dd12 gets the cot/fold out. The last time we had a hotel together though we were not paying for it so we had a nice suite that had 2 bedrooms plus a pull out sofa, that was an awesome hotel :D