2 couples in 1 hotel room: is this allowed?
 

My wife and I will be traveling to Las Vegas with another couple in the near future. To save some money we were thinking of getting a room with two beds and sharing the room. Is this allowed by hotels? Do they charge extra for this? Or, is it best to not mention anything about the other couple at check in?

Thanks in advance for any help!

(as a pt deskclerk) Yes this is done more often then you'd think.

Yes, you must declare how many occupants are in the room, and generally there will be an extra charge to cover increased linen, water, etc. "Sneaking" people who are not registered guests into rooms constitutes fraud, and some hotels will not take kindly to it.

(and I would hate the bathroom waits too)

Aren't we talking about Las Vegas here? That sort of thing is done often for many reasons. Just remember, "what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas". I can't imagine you will raise an eyebrow with your request.
Just register as Bob, Ted, Carol, and Alice. Ooops. Am I dating myself here?

Not sure why the "icks" or "yucks." Just friends who plan to only sleep a few hours in the room and then be out and about the rest of the time. As for whomever wrote: if you can't afford two rooms, stay home. This is a ridiculous, classist point of view. People with less means are allowed and entitled to go out too. Travel isn't only for the wealthy.

Thanks to those who posted serious replies. As for the rest I offer my apologies for offending you. I didn't realize Fodors was solely for the rich and conservative.

SDA1, Good response. You were up front with your reasons (to save money) and honest enough to check first (without sneaking). I had 4 adults in a room (including 2 couples) and while I prefer more privacy it is certainly doable.

One thing that works well is for the 4 to stagger morning routines and some to leave the room for a while in the morning while the others get ready. Cup of coffee, breakfast, a short stroll, etc. so there's less confusion in the morning.

It's also good to note where the lobby restrooms or public restrooms are ahead of time. It doesn't take me long to get ready, so I usually through on jeans, brush my teeth quickly, go down to the lobby to read the paper, use the restroom, visit with other travelers if there is a complimentary breakfast, etc. I can be slow to "get going" in the morning but can get ready in 15 minutes. By the time I get back to the room (with a cup of coffee for the others) I can dash in the bathroom for a shower. You may want to pack a short extension cord so folks can dry hair, etc. out in the room (there often isn't an outlet close enough to the mirror).

Be sure to communicate honestly about how much time each needs in the morning to get ready so all can plan accordingly. Have fun in Vegas!

Before you condemn your critics too harshly, SDA1, may remind you that you asked this question in your original posting: "Or is it best to not mention anything about the other couple at check in?"
Dishonestly is not a virtue!

<i>What if</i> on check in, there was only a king available? Then what? Double doubles are not plentiful in all hotels!

Hotels do allow it, but yes, you should advise them that there will be 4. Depending on where you stay in Vegas too, there are hotels that have a room key check at the elevators...you'll need to be able to produce 4. It will cost slightly more, but you'll also get the amenities for 4 rather than 2.

For myself, constant togetherness can be too much of a good thing, and I'm grateful for my own space, as much as we might love the couple we are traveling with!

OO, I've never made a reservation for 4 and arrived at a hotel that did not have accomodations for 4. I suppose a couple may have to sleep on a sofa bed in a king room.

4 adults to a room is not an usual request. I've stayed regularly at the Holiday Inn Westshore in Tampa (not by choice, mind you) for weeks at a time for 3 months of the year and every week there were tour groups with 4 adults in a room (usually bowlers from the NE of all things!).

I travel many cities for conferences where the attendees almost always request 4 to a room because they are on limited funds. I've received very nice upgrades to suites because I'm a frequent traveler and they need my double room for 4 adults.

As long as they book for 4, I can't imagine their not getting a room for 4. Honesty rules. Otherwise, you may very well find yourself in a bind.

I meant to say that 4 to a room is not an UNUSUAL request - especially in cities that cater to convention crowds...and that is DEFINITELY true of Vegas.

You are absolutely correct Starrsville, but the key is to book it for four from the get go, not to book for two and plan on not mentioning the other couple at check-in. If the reservation is for 4, they should be fine, barring the odd snafu of a late check-in and a clerk that has released the double double. Don't even think about this for NYC however!

starrsville, my daughter just returned from a trip where she had a nights hotel booked for 2 with 2 beds in the room. A big cruise ship had come in, the room was booked and they only had a single double bed room. So they automatically gave her a king suite.
It happens.
I would have echoed the Ick, because as an adult, I hate sleeping over at friends houses, I hate sharing bathrooms and reeeally don't want to slip into bed in my nightgown with another couple in the other bed..I don't want to lie in bed and listen to someone other than my husband snoring.
But, that might just be me~
To save money, why not get a cheaper hotel and each have your own room?

I agree completely OO.
By the way, is chigger season over?

Chigger season is in full swing and poison oak has joined the milieu. It looks terrific right smack in the middle of your forehead. :D My DH said the word condo about 150 times yesterday. LOL

I agree Scarlett. I don't want to listen to any strange noises in the night other than those produced by my own DH...or myself. More than that though, I really need my alone time, and get grumpy without it.

I get cranky when I can hear people out in the hall! Imagine how much fun I would be to travel with, if I had them in the room with me!

Poor chigger girl :(

We are saying words like condo a few times lately too :D

my reply on &quot;other topics&quot;...

I would never try to sneak by a front desk. Most likely they are gonna notice eventually when you've got 4 people where there are supposed to be only 2. I'm sure policies vary hotel to hotel, so I would simply ask the front desk their policy and any extra charges that might be involved.

Remember this means 4 to 1 bathroom too!

We have reserved hotel rooms for 4 many times. Sometimes with our children (adult and minor) and sometimes with other adults for a wedding or funeral, etc. I wouldn't do it on vacation but that's just me. If you get a room that says $00 for the night, who cares how many people. That being said, you may get a King room but since those are usually requested, I think the odds are better that you would get a double room anyway.

Think about it from the hotel's standpoint. If it's a regular non-casino hotel that makes money from room rates, they may say something or enforce their &quot;extra-person fees&quot;, etc...

But if it's a casino-hotel, they make money from your playing in the casino, not paying for their rooms (well, maybe with a few high-end exceptions). They will be very happy that you have 8 or 10 people staying, if all of you are playing in their casino.

All this this reminded me of a trip many years ago to Yellowstone. We went with a large group and were staying in West Yellowstone. We arrived, and the hotel had messed up, and yes, they ran out of rooms and so dh and I had to share a room with another couple. Thankfully, they were very close friends, so it was not awful. However, the other wife and I were both pregnant. Can you just imagine two couples, with two wives very close to their due dates sharing a room? LOL! We made the best of it and just laughed at everything. BTW, the other wife delivered only a few days later.

I have attended outings and conferences with 4 women to a room and although that was the way it was set up, it really was not fun, but it is doable. Sharing a bathroom with 4 women really is not fun, either. I suppose it would be no different than being accompanied by two teenage children in a family - if they do charge extra, it still would be cheaper than getting two rooms. I definitely would mention the amount of people though.

the best advice I've read here is Scarlett's: be honest and be comfortable, stay in a less-expensive place and get two rooms. You're grownups. If you're going on this trip to have fun, why have to be furtive about how many people are using one room?