Joe and I have been married for over 20 years, so it’s been a long, long time since we shared our hotel room with anybody else. But back during the days when we did, there were times we had to pay for the third and, as applicable, the fourth person in the room.
Hotel rooms are usually based on double occupancy (read: 2 people in the room). Even if the room has 2 king-sized beds, if the room is advertised as a Double (yet also says it can sleep “up to four”), the hotel may or may not charge you for that third or fourth person. If they do, the amount can vary significantly (think $10 to $75, or even more), but is usually a “per day” fee.
It doesn’t seem like a lot, but two extra people, at $50 each per night, for 5 nights? That’s an extra $500 you’re paying at the end of your stay. Granted, it’s probably not as much as what you’d pay if you simply got a second room, but still…!
Some hotels will allow children to sleep in the room for free (isn’t that nice of them?), but others will even charge for kids – albeit sometimes at a lower rate than they would for an adult.
Why the surcharge?
Hotel managers will tell you about how those extra people in the room wind up affecting their bottom line:
- Extra towel use
- Extra water use
- Extra wear and tear on facilities (gym equipment, business center computers, wearing out carpets and furniture, etc.)
- More mouths to feed that oh-so-delicious free continental breakfast (here’s why the call it that, by the way)
- The time and wear & tear of your “extra” people require a rollaway bed (or 2) to be brought into the room (and then, good heavens, you’ve got extra sheets and blankets they’ll have to wash, too!)
But c’mon – that extra $50 a day they’re charging is way, WAY over whatever “use” and “wear and tear” their stuff is getting. And you can’t tell me that a bowl of Froot Loop knock-offs, an 8 ounce carton of milk, a 5.3 ounce container of yogurt a 6 ounce glass of orange juice concentrate, and a watered down cup of coffee is worth anywhere near $50.
So why do they do it? Exactly what you think – because they can. If they can charge an extra $100/night for 2 extra people in a room, and hotel guests have shown they’re OK with this, who’s going to stop them?
What you can do about it
Don’t stay at hotels that charge for extra people in the room
This one is kind of a no brainer, but if Hotel A is charging an extra $50 per person per night for the 3rd and 4th person in the room, and Hotel B (or heck, maybe Rental House A that has enough bedrooms for your party’s needs) is not, if all other things are equal or almost equal, flip Hotel A the proverbial bird and stay at Hotel B/Rental House A. Maybe even tell Hotel A why you’re not staying there; if enough people do, maybe they’ll get rid of the surcharge.
Ask them to remove the charge
You never know when you might catch a general manager in a good mood; it can’t hurt to ask. But be prepared for them to say no, too.
Stay in a room made for your number of guests
A “Double” room that can hold “up to 4” is not the same as a room that is specifically advertised as a “Quadruple.” Compare the prices of that Quad vs. the Double +2.
Consider getting 2 rooms
Again, getting 2 rooms that are meant to hold 2 will most likely cost more than putting 4 people in a “double that can hold four, but you’ll pay a surcharge for the extra people.” But 2 doubles might cost less than one quadruple. Comparison shop.
Use your loyalty program to your advantage
Some hotel loyalty programs include adding X number of extra guests in the room for free. See what you’re entitled to (and if you’re not a member of the hotel’s loyalty program, now’s a good time to join!)
What about sneaking extra people into your room & not telling?
That trick is, obviously, as old as the hills. Joe and I are both habitually “rule followers,” so we personally don’t recommend it. But if you’re OK with living with not enough room keys or towels, then you do you. Just be aware that if you’re caught, you may be charged the fees for extra people or be asked to leave the hotel.
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