anjelicw

I am not familiar with this term. Does it mean that this is the price per person? That someone else will also be in the room? Thanks!

Neil_Oz

The answer is yes and yes, basically. It's a "couples" rate. For single travellers a surcharge called a "singles supplement" will usually be quoted because he/she will bear the whole cost of hotel rooms. It doesn't mean that a bedmate will be supplied without your approval, as welcome as that might be in some cases.

anjelicw

Still not quite understanding...if a site is quoting $202 twinshare, that means that it is actually $404 for the room? And if the room has more than one bed in it, they can put another person in the room?

Am I getting it? Thanks for your help!

anjelicw

And then there is another price for 'sole use' which seems to be about double the price as the twinshare price...does that guarantee us the room to ourselves?

Sorry for so many questions, I am trying to figure out accomodations in Uluru and the website isn't very helpful. Just trying to figure out how bad it's going to be...

oliverandharry

Twin share means you and your best friend are going together and you will each pay the amount quoted, $202 or whatever. Sole use, which would be about double is the same room occupied only by you. This guarantees the lodging the amount or close to the amount for the 'double' price - what they get from couples, etc. As Neil says, you will not be forced to have a companion.

Neil_Oz

anjelicw, you said "us" - does this mean that you're travelling as one half of a couple?

Usually the term "twin share" is applied to a package price of some kind covering at least travel and accommodation. If the price is quoted at (say) $1,000 pp twin share, that's a per-person rate which assumes two of you will be occupying any hotel rooms included in the deal, so a couple will pay $2,000. A solo traveller will pay more because the price of the rooms is not being split between two people.

I've heard of some tours which give singles the choice of accepting a room share with another single customer to cut costs - but the operative word is "choice".

I haven't seen the term "twin share" applied where only accommodation is being quoted, though. Usually it's quoted as a rate for a particular standard of room: thus, a single might be $150, a double or twin $200. What's the website, as a matter of interest?

To sum up: if you're travelling as a couple you'll have sole occupancy of the room. If you're travelling solo, you'll have sole occupancy of the room, but you'll pay about double the "per person twin share" rate. Doesn't matter if the room has an extra bed.

The main exception to this would be hostel dorm-style accommodation, of course, where you pay your $30 or whatever for a bed and take pot luck as to who you'll be sharing sleeping quarters with.

Peteralan

And I think it indicates the room has two beds rather than a double bed?

Neil_Oz

Peter, on the only tour we've taken I recall that sometimes my wife and I were given a double bed, sometimes twins.

I do recall once booking a 2BR apartment in Oxford Street for an overnight in Sydney by my (male) boss and me. When we turned up we found that not only had the apartment become a 1BR, but they'd thoughtfully pushed the twin beds together to make a quasi-double. Maybe it was the location, but the receptionist seemed to think we were miserable ingrates when we thanked them for their thoughtfulness but asked that, at the very least, the beds be separated. This story has absolutely nothing to do with the OP's question, just thought I'd share the experience.

pat_woolford

Its a subject of endless confusion. A B&B, for instance, will usually quote a price per double per room with queen or king size bed. If, for some reason, (and snoring features a lot), a couple or 2 friends, or maybe a brother or a sister, don't want to share the main bed, and if there is another bed available in that room, the cost is the same. For single occupancy in the same room, there's usually, but not always, a reduction of somewhere between $10 and $40, depending on rates. Single occupancy is not half that of double, as apart from the cost of breakfast, a little extra laundry and hot water, overheads such as cleaning and maintenance of room, a/c, are the same. If more than two (usually families) want to share same room with extra beds, there is a supplement for each extra bed occupied. But strangers would never be expected to share a room.

Europeans in particular seem confused here as they often expect to be charged per bed in room, whether extra beds which may be there are occupied or not.

anjelicw

I'm not booking a tour, just a room and this is why I am so confused. I am traveling with one other person and we are just trying to figure out how much the room costs and if they are going to put someone else in there. Most of the places we are going are pretty clear, but our red center stop is beyond confusing...

Specifically, I am looking at the Voyages web site at Uluru to get lodging at the rock. All of their prices are quoted as twin share.

They have a standard room that has one queen size bed in it...it is being quoted as $202 twin share and $404 sole use. So from what I have read here, my guess is that my partner and I would pay $404 and have sole use of the room?

Here is where it gets really confusing though...their 'budget' hotel has either 2 sets of bunkbeds, a double and a bunk or a double and a single and it does not appear that you can choose which one you get. This is being quoted as $96 twin share and $192 sole use. So I'm guessing that my partner and I would pay $192 regardless, but will they put another person in the room say if we get put in a 2 bunkbed room? I have read on other websites that they do this at this hotel, so I am not understanding the pricing on this one at all.

I appreciate all the help so far, thanks!

Neil_Oz

Have you considered putting the question to the hotel itself? If so, what was their response?

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Kiwi_acct

I will bite if for no other reason than getting a laugh about hearing of Neil's experience in Oxford street.

If you and your friend are travelling together and get on well enough to share a room then you will share the room at a cost of $202 EACH or $404 for the room. You will not have some scruffy backpacker foisted upon you (No matter how attractive that proposition may be)

Exclusive use is the same as single. In this case if you and your friend either singularly or together snore like foghjorns in the night you can have a room each for which you will be paying $404 per person.

In the case of the rooms with the bunkbeds, as they are not described as dorms but as rooms you would be exceedingly unlikely to end up sharing with a stranger. Its just a case of who gets dibs on the top bunk between the pair of you.

Neil your experience of the hotel in Oxford street reminds me of a story my wife told me of her travels round the world long before she met me. She was travelling with a group through Scotland and she and her friends had booked to stay in a castle hotel. Unfortunately due to a booking error she and her (female) friend were booked into the same room but with only one bed. Apparently they were supposed to be staying there for a few nights. However in the morning the room became amazingly no longer available due to a "double booking". It was not until later that my wife realised that the checkin clerk thought my wife and her friend were "women in comfortable shoes" who were offending her delicate Scottish sensibilities and she did not want any of "that" behaviour in her hotel. Safe to say my wife laughs a lot about it now.

anjelicw

I have emailed the hotel twice now with no response. I have done a few searches on this board and have seen that they do sometimes put strangers in your room with you (if, for instance, you occupy 3 of the 4 bunk beds). From what I understand of the term now, that shouldn't happen, but I am still weary...

Looks like it might be our luck of the draw if we want the more budget accomodations?