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Betsy
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 8:29pm | IP Logged
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We are finding it difficult to find a hotel that will let our family (for dc 9,7,4,1) stay in one room. I believe the law is that there must be one bed for each person. What have others done to not have to rent two rooms? Is their better chains to use? Tricks that I am not aware of? Sympathy!!??
Thanks,
Betsy
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rivendellmom
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 8:34pm | IP Logged
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At budget hotels, when we've stayed in one room for one night (in between camping locations) we just didn't say how many kids we had. We've brought sleeping bags in. When we've been at a hotel for a few nights we've just had to get 2 rooms. At Disney they had a cabin that fit all of us. The hotel issue is one of the main reason we bought a camper and started camping. We can cram as many people in it as we can stand!
Jen
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Mary G
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 8:59pm | IP Logged
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Betsy,
We've always found the Drury Inns a great option as many of their rooms are suites with multiple beds. They are always so nice to deal with ....
Another thing we do: when we call or book, we say how many adults (anyone over 13 or so) and then when we show up we explain that we have 3 little ones and they never seem to balk (when they see them). It just seems silly to pay for beds that they won't even use (as they sually end up in bed with us at some point during the night!).
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MaryG
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 9:11pm | IP Logged
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We don't say. I just say that we want, "the family room with 2 queen beds". If they ask how many, I say, "2 adults and our kids."
I think once, the guy asked my husband, "how many kids?" and he replied, "Depends on how many live through the summer."  That was the end of THAT conversation.
Seriously, though, dh checks in and we stay in the car....they've never seen us at check-in, they've never asked, and it's never been a problem.
That's ridiculous....1/bed or space per person. 
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Suzanne in ID
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JodieLyn
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We usually spend a bit more on a suite that officially sleeps at least 6.. I figure if kids stay free as long as they don't require extra bedding.. we're good.
The only time I really have a problem is in small areas that the largest rooms only sleep 4.. and if I have to go somewhere by myself with the kids there are no options (like for swim meets) so we find it easier to just use the tent at the free area they offer to those in the swim meet. 
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guitarnan
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 10:33pm | IP Logged
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Our family is small (2 kids) and we still prefer to rent cabins or cottages when possible. (We are VERY tall people. DH is 6'7".) We often have problems with rooms/rollaways. We do always ask, because of fire regulations, but we're moving more and more away from the traditional motel model because we just don't fit.
In Europe it is worse. We do better in hostels (family rooms) than we do in doubles-only hotels. Sometimes the hotel staff can't put our rooms near each other and I spend the whole time checking on or worrying over my children. Not good.
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Carole N.
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| Posted: July 15 2009 at 2:38am | IP Logged
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In Europe you can only have two adults in a room...and 16 is considered an adult. So we have to rent two rooms now. We try to do self serving flats. I am not sure they have anything like that in the States.
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 Carole ... in Wales
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kingvozzo
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| Posted: July 15 2009 at 7:52am | IP Logged
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SuzanneG wrote:
Seriously, though, dh checks in and we stay in the car....they've never seen us at check-in, they've never asked, and it's never been a problem.
That's ridiculous....1/bed or space per person. |
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This is exactly what we do!
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Noreen
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Sarah M
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SuzanneG wrote:
I think once, the guy asked my husband, "how many kids?" and he replied, "Depends on how many live through the summer." That was the end of THAT conversation.
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OK, Suzanne- that is seriously funny!
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Bookswithtea
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SuzanneG wrote:
I think once, the guy asked my husband, "how many kids?" and he replied, "Depends on how many live through the summer." That was the end of THAT conversation.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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anitamarie
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I second the Drury - they are awesome and they are owned by a Catholic family!! And they have an awesome breakfast. All the other hotels ask how many kids and we have to be honest, and then we have to get an extra room. 
This is so hard. If it were for safety reasons, I could see it. But, if we can comfortable in one room, why can't they just let us?
Anita
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Bethany
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I love Homewood Suites. They have studio or 1 Br suites and the couch folds out. Plus, they have breakfast every day and dinner Monday through Thursday. So if you are traveling during the week you also get two meals out of them . Their prices vary quite a bit by location but usually we pay a little over $100, but considering breakfast at McDonald's could be $25, ti's not too bad.
Of course our preference is a house or cabin, we try to avoid hotels if possible.
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Bethany
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Matilda
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anitamarie wrote:
| This is so hard. If it were for safety reasons, I could see it. But, if we can comfortable in one room, why can't they just let us? |
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This is a moral dilemma that I have difficulty with when this situation arises. Even the hotels that offer "suites" or two queens with a pull-out couch that could easily sleep 6 only allow 5, not because of corporate policy, but due to fire safety codes (it has to do with maximum capacity per square footage). So, to put more than that number in the room (which I admit we have done on occasion) is a violation of safety laws and as Christians, we are called to be good citizens and uphold the law in so far as it does not violate the teachings of our Faith. I'm probably not helping with solutions here, but this is an issue I struggle with.
I guess, I wouldn't have a problem breaking the rule if it were just an attempt by the hotel industry to make more money off of large families but I don't believe that is the case. Most Fire Marshalls have the status and powers of law enforcement officers.
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Charlotte (Matilda)
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JodieLyn
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It goes further than that though Charlotte, since the spirit of the law is to make sure that everyone can get out.. and my husband and I together can make sure of that better than my husband and I split apart with half the kids each.. then the letter of the law is contradicting the spirit of the law 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Matilda
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My understanding (and I would really love it if someone's Fire Marshall or fireman husband would correct me if I'm wrong) is that the fire codes are in place to make sure that exits are not blocked thereby preventing people from leaving in an emergency or preventing emergency personnel from getting in. That is why we have, on occasion, slept with 6 people in a 5 person occupancy room if two of those people were small enough to fit on the pull-out couch together. In that arrangement, we are not putting any extra beds or bodies in those exit paths. I also wonder if the fire codes make exceptions for minor children or infants.
As you mentioned, Jodie, it isn't a perfect solution. In theory, two adults with enough extra luggage could block the exit path more than a family with 4 or 5 small children. I really do believe though that it is a system that was put in place in the interest of public safety and not just to feed corporate greed.
Like I said, I struggle with this.
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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Bethany
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| Posted: July 15 2009 at 6:39pm | IP Logged
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Well, with Homewood Suites we've traveled with my parents and between the two of us we have 2 children per room, however, the also have 2 bedroom suites that can sleep 6-8. At least with the 2 bedroom, everyone is together.
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Bethany
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stacykay
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We've been able to book rooms at Comfort Suites that allow for 6 in a room. We recently stayed at Embassy Suites, with 6, which was allowed.
Since our boys are getting bigger, and when we travel with all 6 (the oldest two are 21 and 18) we now get two rooms. But we did used to bring in an "extra"  , when there was one less. Since dh and I usually have one who crawls in with us anyway, it worked well, as long as we had two queens!
We did find a very inexpensive hotel, long ago, (I think it was an Econolodge) where we rented two rooms for our gang, as it was late and no hotels would take even 5.
But these accomodations (once you start getting two rooms) sure do add up, and they make any potential travel financially daunting!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Stephanie_Q
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All our vacations involve camping or staying with family.
When we "only" had three very little ones and had to stay in a hotel, we did what Suzanne did - I stayed in the car with them and we went in and out the back door.
Since we've had our fourth, we've only had to stay in hotels twice - both for family weddings - so my parents "took" 2 and we claimed the other 2 (but they all stayed with us).
A large family I know (when they had 8 kids) got 2 adjoining rooms at a Holiday Inn (with a door between them). I'm not sure if all Holiday Inns are this way. They were at the point where they couldn't fit in one room. They put all the older kids in one room with the door open between so mom & dad could sleep together in the other with the little ones. I'm not sure if they admitted how many kids they had or if each room held 5 such that it wasn't a problem.
Sometimes it is HARD to be a witness to the culture of life!
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LeeAnn
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Our last trip we used Mariott's SpringHill Suites which sleep six easily. The rate was about $99/night. Two queen beds and a pullout sofa.
The only problem is when you make reservations online sometimes (every location's web thingy is different) it will tell you they don't have rooms that sleep 7 or 6 or whatever number. So I just plug in 4 persons (although we have 6) and clarify how many minor children we have when we actually get there.
No hotel should be asking parents with minor-age children to rent more than one room.
I have also asked places like Comfort Inn and other major chains if it is alright to bring sleeping bags if they only have rooms with two beds (no suites) and the answer has always been yes.
If someone asked me to rent two rooms I'd ask them which of my two children I should put in there alone--the 3 & 5 year old or the 9 & 11 year old?
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Becky Le
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We try to do suites whenever available and the budget allows otherwise we fall into the "don't ask, don't tell" category.
Our biggest issue for the last couple of years has been with needing two pack-n-plays because of the twins. This really seems to confuse the desk people who are sure there is only one allowed per room. Maybe we are having an impact because I have noticed lately that several hotel sites I have been on explicitly state ONE crib or rollaway per room. Then again maybe it's a fire hazard.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Hotels--how many rooms?
