Does three go in to two??
 

Sorry in advance if this is a dumb question...In the US, if one has booked a hotel room for two as a twin share, is it a major issue if you then sleep three in those twin beds?? For those that have helped with the planning of my son's American adventure - he has now met a friend in the US who wants to join them for part of their trip and they already have twin room bookings for hotels in DC and NYC. Is this likely to be a problem or should they just keep quiet?

He should probably check with the individual hotels.

It would be really difficult for two people to sleep in a twin bed, but perhaps the hotel would be able to put a rollaway in the room.

Lee Ann

It shouldn't be a problem, but Lee Ann is right. Check the reservations to see if it states the number of people.

I thought that most places have two double beds (not twins = two single-person beds). If they are singles then he'll probably have to pay a bit more for the rollaway.

In most parts of the country, it's not a problem. Hotel employees usually don't care, and a room with two beds usually mean two "full size" (53") or even two "queen size" (60") beds.

But NYC is not like most parts of the country. I've definitely stayed in hotels there where two beds mean two "twin size" (i.e. single, 38") beds, with hardly any spare room to walk.

Check with the hotels, if possible. Usually there is a maximum number of people the hotel will allow to stay in ANY room and, for example, when you book hotel rooms on line, at least in major chain hotels in the US, this number is CLEARLY stated at the outset.

Are these truly twin rooms with TWIN beds or the more usual two double (sized) or queen (sized) beds?

Even if the room is a true double the hotel may charge for an extra person(s) up to the max allowed.

As the others have said, most hotel rooms with two beds have larger beds, not twins, and will accommodate up to 4 people, thogh they will charge for the extra person, usually $10 or $20 per night..

HOWEVER, there are indeed hotels in NYC with two actual twin-size beds, and more significantly there are rooms with a legal occupancy of two, determined by the fire codes, which no amount of begging and bribing will induce the hotels to ignore. They must not just "keepquiet" qbout this, as sneaking an extra person in under these circumstances will get them all thrown out on the street. Finally, the types of hotels that do have twin beds are furthermore often thee most vigilant about extra "guests."

I do this with friends quite often if we travel as an odd number of people. In the US it's normally fine and a third person can be accommodated in a room with a rollaway bed (usually but not always for an extra charge) so everyone has their own bed.

However, the one city I would definitely not attempt this without calling the hotel is NYC for the reasons given above. So, it's no good keeping quiet now but just ring the hotel and see how many they can accommodate in a room.

Hello Ozgirl,

Interesting question. Because US hotels almost never charge by the person, we usually don't bother notifying them when we have an additional relative or friend stay a night or two with us.

We usually know by the hotel web site photos or from previous experience what size the beds are. In other words, unless you are worried about comfort and size of the beds, it is not typically necessary to tell the hotels ahead of time. Again, because there isn't usually a per person charge, no one will make a fuss unless the young men are overly rowdy or trash the room.

My daughter and her friends travel together and typically have 4 girls in a room. They have not been charged extra.

That said, agree with others that it also may be wise to check with the hotels in advance, for your peace of mind.

Some hotel provide roll-away beds.

Some do not allow 3 people stay in one room - issue of fire safety, or whatever!

If somebody paid for 2 people in a room, then bringing in a 3rd person would not be honest.

Are these teenagers or college kids? Mine travels a lot with friends (school trips, band trips, ski trips, etc), and believe it or not, they sleep on the floor!! They won't even share a double bed with a friend. (Homophobic???) Anyway, they don't seem to care ONE BIT!

NYC hotels usually have three as the room max. If it is a BIG hotel they can probably just sneak in the 3rd kid. (The hotel will probably charge for a thrid person in the room...)

wliwl, you're right. That is a bit homophobic of your son and his friends! In my college years large beds were shared many times and none of us had a problem with it. Same thing with my four years in the military while on vacations, etc.

Ozgirl, I have never even heard of hotels in America having "twin" beds. That's a Europe thing.

Our usual experience is if a third person is added it ranges from 10-20 per night at most hotels, some add no extra. He should check what his reservations say and the hotel rules on the web or by phone. Sneaking in a third person - that's a personal issue. If it would cost the small additional charge, if it is against regulations (fire/emergency/etc - whereas guest lists are what hotel use to account for people in emergencies, etc). then that depends on how individuals feel about being dishonest, regardless of whether or not they are actually caught being dishonest. If they find the hotel doesn't allow or have room for a cot, or don't allow it b/c it is in fact twin beds and not full beds (in which case if they don't want to sleep together but a 3rd is allowed to share a bed, they can throw the usual extra pillow and blanket on the floor if so inclined) or they can change to new lodging, probably at a youth hostel which they can likely afford.

jorr...I know. It's an all-boy school, they are a little over sensitive...What can I say. I think they're crazy. You couldn't pay me enough to sleep on a hotel floor with the comforter for covers! Yuk! But honestly, he looks at me like I'm crazy when I tell him that.

wliwi
Yikes, Ask him to look at the bottom of his shoes, multiply that by hundreds of shoes and that is what he is sleeping on. PLUS all the dust bunnies that have lived there for months. In addition, that conforter was cleaned???? NOT after each quest. How many people have changed their babies on that conforter? How many people have had sex on that confortor? etc. etc. etc.
Tell him to take the extra blanket roll it up and place it on half the bed you then have a double bed made into two twin beds. You can then sleep one up, one down. So much better then the dirty floor.

I know...I know

Thanks everyone! I say twin room and that may be a bit of a misnomer - basically they have booked a double with two beds. In Australia that would be two double beds or maybe even queen sized beds as mentioned above but I wasn't sure what that would imply in the US. Specifically, they have booked the Carlyle in DC and Shelburne Murray Hill in NYC. I don't think they will have a problem sharing beds if need be.

My guess is they'll have two doubles.

3 in 2 twin beds? Are they "intimate"?

Now that my daughters are "adults" (18 and 20) we are OFTEN charged extra for them to be in our room. I use the military "don't ask, don't tell" policy. I don't feel it is dishonest but others may. We sometimes bring a sleeping bag along because they don't always want to share a bed.