Do hotels verify chidren ages?
 

Have 2 boys - 12 and 15. Booked a room in Seville ( we got the highest category room, with a living room; bedroom and 2 bathrooms). However the limit is 3 adults and 1 child ( 11 yrs). I still booked, and put in the age of the child as 11. My question - do they check or verify ages? He is a small 12 yr old, so it is not like I am trying to pass a 18 yr old as a 11 yr old. At the same time, I don't want to create any issues or hassles at check in. Any thoughts?

Thank you in advance for your replies,

D

Probability is less than 1%.
They may check - mostly they don't. Then if they check, it would be for safety/taxes wahtever issues, not to kick you out.
In the unlikely event they make it dffficult, tell them your child needs to sleep with you for whatever reason and call the manager.
After all, what they are after is to please the clients, not to disgust them and drill them like a fiscal adminstration.

Thanks! Appreciate your response.

D

IME (though not in Spain but in the UK and France) if a hotel lists a specific age limit they almost ALWAYS ask for proof.

I personally would not try to cheat.

Do people lie and cheat, Desirees?

Of course, if a room has a limit of THREE adults and only two are occupying the room, perhaps the hotel would allow you to substitute a second child for that one adult since the TOTAL number of people in the room would still be four.

Now, are you willing to ask the hotel this question?

I think it really depends on the hotel and who checks you in. Some check, some don't. But a greater consideration is- when we've stayed in places like that, the space is the issue. Even a small eleven year old is big enough for an adult sized cot, so I'd be certain of what size of room and beds you are booking before you decide to "cheat" or not. Some hotel rooms absolutely have space for the extra "adult" but some places, well, that extra adult would have to be pretty much a toddler to sleep comfortably.

So, you want us to tell you that it is OK to lie? Charming.

Consider calling the hotel and asking them what to do. Perhaps you might be able to pay a small supplement for junior and have peace of mind. And they may appreciate your honesty and hook you up.

asking here will get complete opposite answers - woinparis, who lives in Europe, says rare chance of problems -others say the opposite - there can be no across the board answer to this question- each hotel will be different- maybe contact the hotel and explain and say you have to look elsewhere if not...

woinparis has traveled a lot with kids that age I think. But still you can only go on others' experiences and yours may be different.

I say be honest now with hotel and see what they say and then reconsider - you are renting more than just a room. Hotel may even have a roll-away they could put in.

but taking a chance you'll never know.

As marvel notes, you probably need to be clear on what the bed situation is. Some hotels have the age stipulation but provide the same beds as if 4 adult were sleeping there (or at least two parents and two 18-year-olds). In that situation, for practical sleeping purposes, the child's age shouldn't matter.

As for will they verify: It's been a while since we traveled with underage kids, but I can't remember every being asked to verify ages. I guess if they look at the passport closely, they could tell.

By law here in Spain everyone who stays at a a hotel etc must show there passports and the details in the passport are then sent to the Guardia Civil.
It will be up to the reception staff to make a fuss about you lying.

I said I hadn't traveled w/ children in Spain! But I do have a LOT of first hand knowledge in both the UK (where chain hotels like Premier Inn and Travelodge are VERY strict) and a couple of times in France when one place was a stickler and one wasn't.

Passing a 12 yo off as an 11 yo is definitely not the biggest crime of the century ;) but it is cheating. And be careful of semantics - in case a cot iis mentioned, that is not something like a rollaway. It is a baby crib.

Do you want to teach your children that lying and cheating is a good and clever thing to do? Very nice principles of education...

Be up front right now with hotel and say booking depends on it. See what they say -better than risk it and set a bad example, especially if objected to when going there.

It may not be an arbitrary age limit for such a room(s).

As Janis said, if a specific age is mentioned, it will be checked. And as Ribeira said, on check-in in Spain, all passports will be collected and info noted for the authorities so the hotel will know ages.

>>Do you want to teach your children that lying and cheating is a good and clever thing to do? Very nice principles of education...<<

That took longer than I thought it would.

And I am the one being bashed when saying you are dishonest if you rent an illegal apartment in Paris.

Wow. OP rents a room for his/her kids.
Not smuggling the whole family.

If you email and ask now I think it is unlikely they will refuse a 12 yo so if you're worried do that.

Hotels in Europe are just not that friendly for families, one reason we mostly do apartments or houses. You're in a tough spot because with the oldest at 15 it's young for a non-connecting separate room.

Hotels pretty much anywhere are not friendly towards families. It's real easy to travel with 2 kids and 2 adults in the US. Gets a whole lot more expensive and irritating hotel wise when you add a third kid. I'm pretty sure if the OP asks, the hotel will let it slide if the sleeping area is sufficiently roomy. As someone else said- 15 is on the young side, and most hotels don't actually want unchapheroned minors on a separate room.

But if you don't ask, you run a serious risk of just ticking off whoever checks you in. Get caught lying and they're a lot more likely to charge you extra just for the sheer irritation towards your deception.

I don't know about Spain, but in France it is ALL about fire and other regulations that the hotel MUST conform with, and the hotel would be in jeopardy having a guest who doesn't conform to the regulations. Plus, as noted, you'll have to turn over the passports for every guest, so just do the right thing and change your booking for a room for 4 adults or get used to the idea of standing in the lobby of the hotel while you are berated for being a cheat. And possibly sent out on the street, if they don't have a room that is actually the right one for your family configuration.