richard2

We are a family of four and we are finding the cost of our trip is mounting! There aren't many quad rooms available in Italy and we are finding the concept of two rooms puts us WAY over our budget. Can we book a triple room and "sneak" a fourth into the room? Our kids don't mind sleeping on the floor (go figure - they frequently take their blankets and sleep on the floor at home). Our thinking is we are only spending the night in the room and what the heck? What do you think?

P.S. We are booking at Westins and the like. Does that make a difference?

chardonnay

I thought at some Westins the kids are free in the same room as the parents, I would check this out and keep your trip on the up and up. If you have a room with two beds that should be enough for you.

It is not a matter of being cheap, but what are you teaching your kids?

I wouldn't want to spend my whole trip sneaking a family member in and out of hotel rooms, hiding from maids, the front desk, etc.

Richard, Richard, Richard....think this over. Maybe you can rent an apartment in a town and it would be cheaper in the long run.

SloJan

Bad idea. Yes, it is not only cheap but sets a really poor example for the children.

There are lots of alternatives. First, why the Westins? You don't need a 4 or 5 star. Back that on down. second, check out apartments which are great when it is a family traveling. If you are going to stay in a general area, you could even look into villas which are less expensive over the week than hotels. And finally, depending on the country, check out hostels (they have family rooms and are FUN) and convents.

Good luck...and just think outside the box!
Cheers,
Jan

SeaUrchin

I agree with the above two posters, why stay at a Westin when you can't afford it? Wouldn't it be better for all four of you to walk into an hotel together like a family?

Stay within your means, why teach your kids that you have to sneak into a "nice" hotel chain in order to have a nice vacation? If I were a kid, that would do something to my ego.

richard2

Your points are well taken.
My term "sneak" wasn't meant to imply hiding in the hallways. I usually check in and the family follows suit. The children wouldn't be expected to hide.

You've struck a sore point with me! I've always been an up and up kind of guy. We are from Canada and four to a room is the norm. When we travelled to Australia we were told three to a room but found that there were two double beds and many would accomodate us. I have a hard time justifying the cost of two rooms.

So I'm assuming this isn't such a good idea?

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>We are booking at Westins and the like. Does that make a difference?<<<<<<

You might want to check out the lovely 3 star Albergo Del Senato next to the Pantheon, which is a very convenient, central location. A quad there costs between 246 euros and 312 euros a night, depending on the season, compared with the Westin's 616 euros for a double.

http://www.venere.com/it/roma/delsenato/rooms.html.en

WillTravel

"Cheap" and "Westin" usually don't go together, except occasionally on Priceline. I wouldn't want to sneak a fourth person into the room. Then one of the children would have to be without a bed (at least with most triple room setups), and that doesn't seem fair.

SloJan

Richard,
Where are you going in Italy? Maybe we can help with ideas?
Cheers,
Jan

richard2

SloJan,

We are going to Rome, Venice and the Amafia Coast.

I am feeling a little embarrassed by my post but it was just a querie. We have some Starwood points that we are using and I thought it was outrageous to have to book two rooms. Maybe we might be better off to stay at some 3 star hotels and save our points for places that give us better value (eg. in Hawaii we can have 4 to a room).

SloJan

Richard,
No worries...things come across oddly on a message board sometimes. The subleties just are not there.

We had friends who stayed at Hotel Al Vagon in Venice. They are a family of four and it was about $175 in high season. They were extremely pleased. There are also lots of apartments in Venice and Rome which would be perfect. Prices would start at about $700/week and go from there. I have no idea on the Amalfi Coast. When we travel to Italy (and we do a lot since we live in Slovenia) I prefer the apartment route b/c it gives us more space and flexibility with the children.

Cheers,
Jan

Tulips

richard, there was a very good post on here some months ago about a trip to Rome with children; this family stayed at the Albergo del Senato. Think the poster was called Grinisa? Try searching for it. It was of help to me when I visited Rome with my children.

SeaUrchin

I am glad you said you are an up and up kind of guy, you had me thinking there for a while that one kid would have to wait outside until it was dark.

Your family can have just as much fun at a less expensive hotel and your kids will learn not to live above their means at the same time.

I suggest saving your points, check out some of the nice hotels that you can afford and have your kids get involved in the decision making of find hotels within your means. I used to do this with my son and he learned the value of the dollar and what we could and could not afford.

If your girls still want their 300$ designer jeans on a 30$ budget they will then get some concept of what is sensible.

jody

There's another post just above this , Titled Rome Hotels OUCH.
One reply sugest the Hotel Miami and Via Nationalize..A quad room is 140E

Kavey

When we stayed at the Violino D'Oro coming up to 2 years ago I asked to see some of the larger rooms/ suites just out of interest.

They showed me a room on the top floor that had a double and two singles. The bathroom was small but the room had a huge private terrace with table and chairs.

We loved the location of the hotel and the decor too.

Prices aren't budget but I don't know what you're looking to spend or whether you're travelling in low or high season so it might be worth a shot.

Kavey

PS I'm talking ahout Venice...

NYCFoodSnob

You can't hide your kids from any hotel in Italy. It's against the law and their passports are required. All you need is a room with two double beds. Many hotels in Italy offer this, you just need to do some homework.

An apartment might be a good solution, too, and more cost effective. Don't worry, just be honest.

rhkkmk

log on to the best western chains web site...the hotels they have in rurope are all individually owned and operated and use bw for group purchasing, name recognition, ff points and reservations...they are charming and many will have "family rooms"...join their ff program for more perks...

Grinisa

Tulips, I'm glad you found my trip report from last April helpful. richard2, as someone who has travelled to Italy twice with two kids, let me tell you that you aren't going to get away with four people in a designated triple room. You aren't going to want to anyway. Hotel rooms in Italy are much smaller than in the USA or Canada. The first time we took our girls to Italy, the only hotel that would let them stay in a double with us was the Gritti Palace in Venice. The brought in a rollaway bed that was slightly narroweer than a "full" or "double" sized bed, and they both slept in that. Of course, they were only 7 and 4 at the time. In Florence, we had two connecting double rooms at the Regency and in Rome, two connecting double rooms at the St. Regis. Luckily, the Regency gave us the two rooms for the price of one junior suite, so our one night there wasn't too bad. But four nights at the St. Regis really added up. So when we returned to Rome in April of this year, we didn't go the five star route but stayed at the three star Del Senato in the Senior Suite. For 425 Euro per night, we got a living room with double sofa bed, bedroom, large bath and huge terrace. There is a quad at the del Senato also for under 300 Euro (if they haven't raised the rate) but it is a much smaller room and I believe the children sleep in fold out chairs.

nytraveler

Aside from the passport issue - and the "image" issue - is this really how you want to raise your children? - how would you deal with blankets, pillows and towels for the second child? Are you going to bring them from the US? What if breakfast is included in the room? Will the second child not eat? Or will you pay separately? Why not just book a hotel you can afford?

Sue_xx_yy

Having looked at the Starwood website, it seems a room for 3 adults comes with a king/twin and what looks like a sofabed.

They also mention rates for a 'rollaway' which seems to imply that a 4th person could be accomodated this way. Perhaps you could call the hotel and ask. As someone mentioned, it could be that physically there just isn't the floorspace for a fourth bed of any kind.