hotels - single v. double?
 

Merhaba peeps!

Turkey is now less than two weeks away. I'm booking just a couple key hotel nights, and find myself confused.

What is a "single" (vs. a "double")? Is a single one bed that can hold two people, or does it mean a room for one person only.

teshekkur ederim!

I've never been to Turkey, but in most of Europe:
single = one person, one bed
double = two people, one bed (may be two single beds that can be pushed together and made up as one bed)
twin = two people, two beds

I imagine that's it. I have never seen a hotel in Europe that referred to a single room as anything other than a one for one person only. Lots of hotels call rooms double rooms that can accommodate two people and may have either a double bed or twins. I know lots of hotels that don't call rooms "twin rooms", but have a few single rooms and double rooms, but you have to ask about bedding arragements in the doubles (or they will note the possible pricing for twin beds versus one large bed in a double room).

Yes, a single is a room for one. In many places such a room may indeed have a bed tht accommodates only one person, though in some places the bed may be larger.
Rooms for two people with two (single) beds are usually called twin, and those for two with one bed to hold both are usually caled a double. If you need one or the other it's best to confirm when reserving.
Just to keep us confused :-) you can sometimes book "double for single use" which is the larger bed (and usually larger room) for occupancy by one person.

"Rooms for two people with two (single) beds are usually called twin, and those for two with one bed to hold both are usually caled a double."

This completely wrong. In Europe single means for one person and double for 2. That's all. It says nothing about the type of bed.

In many places, you request a double that is "matrimonial," that is a bed for 2 people, if you want a double bed.

I've never heard the term twin. If it is used, it is not used widely

As a solo traveler I usually request a queen/full size bed - and I've always been understood.

(Those single beds, or is one single bed called a twin - who came up with these names - reminds of camp when I was a child)

metellus, it is not "completely wrong", just clearly not in your experience. Sheesh.

I have been quoted rates for 'twin' rooms (two beds in the room) in Italy, England, and France. In fact, 'twin' was the hotel's designation on their rate list. In most cases the two beds were of the small size ('twin') but in one case not. The 'twin' refers to the number of beds in the room, but not necessarily to the size of the beds.

When I have requested a single room with a large bed, I am almost always being charged for a 'double room, single occupancy'.

IMO bed size is also related to the level of the hotel, the larger and more luxe hotels more often have larger beds even in single-use rooms.

Huge beds are an American thing. Beds should be comfortable, but why anyone of normal proportions would want a nine foot wide bed is beyond me.

Luxe properties will have three foot singles, and a six foot double bed. As long as the mattress is of an high quality I'm not bothered.

If a room as two beds of larger than single size it will normally be listed somewhere was "double/double or king/king etc. etc."

metellus, I'm afraid, as Elaine says, in this case YOU are completely wrong. Twin room is a universal term meaning 2 single beds in a room for 2 people.

thanks, Kate and elaine - I feel so validated. ;-)

m_kingdom, your constant attempts to discredit everything you dislike on Americans is overwhelming. Who on earth ever heard of a 9 foot wide bed? For your information a US KING (the largest of the normal bed sizes) is 6 foot 6 inches wide. That is exactly 6 inches wider that what you claim is a "normal" double bed in a Luxe property. Frankly I still have no idea what you're talking about because most places in Europe that mention a double bed are actually two 30 inch wide singles put together which equals 60 inches or 5 feet -- that is what we Americans call a queen bed. If the bed is actually 6 feet wide then it is almost what we call a KING -- our largest bed. And for the record our twins measure 39 inches wide, which when you put two together again equals a KING -- at 6 feet 6 inches wide. And I have on fairly numerous occassion seen those in nice European hotels -- both as a king or as two twins pushed together to equal a king.

And to get involved in that other argument, I have also booked "a twin room" lots of times in Europe. It is not unusual for a hotel to call it that.

And I'm sorry I left out one other term for m_kingdom. What we Americans call a "double bed" (sometimes also called a "full size") is 54 inches wide. That is also the usual size of a "double bed" in Europe when it is one mattress, not two beds pushed together.