# Hotel rooms for 2 adults with 5 kids?



## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

So...we've never taken everyone on vacation, but we want to...but i keep running into the same problems... all the hotel rooms are only for 5 people.
What the heck do larger families DO when traveling? can someone please tell me?
the only thing i can think is to get 2 rooms, but that of course doubles the price..not cool. P


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

I only have three kids, but we've occaisionally stayed in family suites - the ones we've stayed in had a choice of bunk beds or two twins in one room and two double or queen beds in the other room, sometimes with a fold out sofa, too, or room for a rollaway bed. They were more expensive than one single room, but less than two.


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## handzfull (Jun 9, 2008)

Up until we had 6 children, we stayed in one hotel room, but it was a "suite" type room. (We have to get 2 rooms now). But our kids were young (ages 6 and under), so sleeping on the floor wasn't a big deal for the little ones. The older two would share a double bed and the dh and I would have a bed. It was definitely crowded and not very relaxing, but it saved money. We even had to rearrange furniture to make it work sometimes. Like I said, we now have to do 2 rooms, so, needless to say, we don't stay in hotels very often anymore.


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

I only have 2, but some of the things my parents did when I was growing up--camping (tent or pop up camper which could sleep 7 (2 at each end, 3 on the bed that folded down where the dining area was)). Hotel with suite. 2 rooms in a hotel; adjoining or no. Yes, it's more expensive, but you get more room too. As a teen, I thought this was super uber cool.

And one other idea, how about a house/apartment swap or rental situation? I've never done it, but I've read about people arranging swaps through a couple of sites, and I know I've seen vacation rentals with more space and beds.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

is there like a list of which hotesl offer suites for more pople?
i cant find any! even hotesl with "suites" in their title dont seem to have any???


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

Ah ha! This site was started by a mother with a similar dilemma. Looks like it's a search that just returns hotels that can accomodate large families! http://www.sixsuitcasetravel.com/


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bobandjess99* 
is there like a list of which hotesl offer suites for more pople?
i cant find any! even hotesl with "suites" in their title dont seem to have any???


I think they're usually called "family suites" instead of just "suites." We stayed in one in Phoenix that was actually a small converted two bedroom apartment! It had a small full kitchen, small diningroom, and livingroom along with the two bedrooms. It was cheap, too!


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EviesMom* 
Ah ha! This site was started by a mother with a similar dilemma. Looks like it's a search that just returns hotels that can accomodate large families! http://www.sixsuitcasetravel.com/

That's an awsome site! Bookmarked!


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## prescottchels (Jun 8, 2007)

My best friend has 4 kids and she and I have travelled w/them many times. A few times there were 3 adults and 5 kids and we spent those trips at Marriott hotels w/suites. Of course everyone shared beds and if there weren't enough to go 'round we'd pack foam pads, the kind you can get at camping and craft stores that are about 2 or 3" thick and 6' long and sleeping bags and the kids would sleep on those on the floor. And we'd use priceline to get the hotel so it would be much less expensive than normal








Happy travels!
Chelsie


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

look for suites. the ones we have stayed in usually have beds for 4-6 people and often have two rooms. they cost a little more but also may have a kitchen which is nice because we usually spend more money on eating out than we do on the room. another option is to get two adjoining rooms.


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## Bazile (May 31, 2008)

I would look at extended stay hotels. Most of them don't actually require that you stay for long periods of time. I worked at a Residence Inn in high school and college, and we had two bedroom two bath suites that are larger than my and dh's apartment. Those particular ones had 1 queen bed in each bedroom, and a double sleeper sofa in the bedroom. Depending on the size and/or age of the kids, you could possibly put three in a queen. And with a rollaway or a blow up mattress you'd have plenty of beds.
Plus, these rooms had a full kitchen so you could save some money on food by cooking. And, where I worked all rooms included breakfast every day and dinner Monday through Thursday.
I use Residence Inn just because I worked there, and thus have experience in their set-up. So, not getting paid for the plug. lol. You'll probably find some/all of these things at other extended stay places.
I also know that some places put two beds in the second bedroom instead of just one. That would give you enough sleeping spaces without having to use rollaways, etc.
Hope this helps, and have fun on your vacation.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

We've just started trying this: we have ONE chain of hotels we've tried (forestdale in the UK) who have family suites with up to 5 beds for kids and a double for the adults. We've also had two rooms next to each other with interconnecting doors- this is a more expensive option, though.
The budget option could be to look at self-catering accomodation, maybe a caravan?


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## Evan&Anna's_Mom (Jun 12, 2003)

If you are around a major "family" attraction (Disney, that sort of thing), search for family suites. I know that Comfort Inn offers them in some places, and some independent chains as well. The ones we've used had two rooms often separated by french doors, with one room of bunk beds and a pull-out sofa, and the other with a queen sized bed. You could easily add a roll-away or air mattress. They are great.

If you are looking for a more general area, try Residence Inn (division of Mariott) or Embassy Suites. We love Embassy Suites -- they are a bit more expensive than some but they offer free full cooked-to-order breakfast and free "happy hour" with enough snacks to make a light dinner for a child. Both of these should have optios that are big enough for you.

Hampton Inn also has some suite properties.


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## jeanine123 (Jan 7, 2005)

If you're going someplace for a few days or a week or so you might want to look into vacation rentals. Vacation Rentals by Owners (vrbo.com) is a great site with locations all over the country and world. You can rent a house/condo, often for close to the same price as a hotel suite and you have more room and your own kitchen.


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## prescottchels (Jun 8, 2007)

I just thought of another option....
Youth Hostels. The name is misleading though. Many if not all are happy to host families. And if you become a member you get discounted rates and travel insurance and such. Check out Hosteling International http://www.hihostels.com/
I took my Girl Scout Troop to CA. We stayed at one and it was great! And at one on a college class trip in Costa Rica.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I am having the same problem. Most affordable hotels say 4 person per room, which is silly because even though we have 6, 4 are little people. We could easily fit in a room with 2 king size beds. The suites are a lot more per night and many still say 6 is too many per fire code or something similar.... and 2 rooms is usually double the cost of one. (plus, I am finding that they can't guarantee they are right next to each other which would mean DH and I would have to split up). It's frustrating because I don't want to spend $200 per night for a hotel room that we are only going to sleep in.


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

We really like staying in condos (people rent out time shares ect) I love VRBO.com also. They are typically just a little more expensive than a hotel (sometimes the same price) and then we get more space and privacy plus a kitchen


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

We don't usually do hotels anymore, and we're only a family of 4 (soon to be 5) total. I find it a lot easier to get a cabin or condo, or something with a couple bedrooms and a kitchen. If you shop around you can get a great deal, and it's nice to be able to cook there- especially if you have one (or more) really picky kid(s).


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## MCR (Nov 20, 2001)

I check booking.com find hotels in the area I want, for the dates I want, then go down the list, they have little symbols of number of people allowed saying if the room or suite holds more than 2 or 4. I've done adjoining rooms before with two queens in each room.
I'm waiting on an email from a hotel for this summer, they say the suite holds only 4 people, but Dd sleeps with me (we'll be 5 people) Some get funny about turning up with extras, so i'm forewarning them. Before I book.


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## mamatoablessing (Oct 17, 2005)

I just skimmed the thread so maybe I missed, but what area are you going to be traveling to? I think renting a two or three bedroom condo is a much better value than any hotel. We hardly ever use hotels because they're too small for me. I need my own space and I love having a kitchen to prepare quick meals. It's so much more cost effective too. You don't have to eat every meal out. Please check out vrbo.com for great vacation rentals all over the country. Also, you can Google search your desired location to see if multiple bedroom hotels/condo units are available. Like try "Orlando (your destination) Suite Hotels".

Good luck!


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## chfriend (Aug 29, 2002)

Ahem.....making the reservation for 4 and just having one person checking in get the key, then waltzing in isn't an option, I guess.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chfriend* 
Ahem.....making the reservation for 4 and just having one person checking in get the key, then waltzing in isn't an option, I guess.











Actually, I wouldn't be like..morally opposed to that, lol, and have in the way past...but most places today except really low-end have INDOOR room access now..as in, you have to tramp everyone through the lobby to get to your room. So it's sort of hard to do that anymore...

And I'm looking for like 1 night at a time, "flop after spending the day at the amusement park instead of driving a couple hours home" type stuff. not at all worth looking for a condo or whatever..just really looking for a CHEAP place to all lay down for a few hours. Definitely not something worth paying out the nose for 2 hotel rooms, or even a pricey "suite".


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## mamatoablessing (Oct 17, 2005)

If you decide to go with one room, I would be very cautious about putting yours kids to sleep on a hotel room floor. Make sure there is enough bed space. I have been in some hotels with floors so gross you can't even take off your shoes. They're generally not very clean places in general but the floors have to be the worst. Or maybe the bedspreads????


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

I've been to probably a dozen science fiction conventions for which we made a reservation for 4 and actually had up to 8 adults in our room.







Not one hotel ever gave us any hassle over it. Of course, we had to make do with only 4 keys and 4 sets of towels and 2 sets of bedding; we brought extra towels and sleeping bags. I'd think that if hotel staff are willing to overlook overcrowding of their rooms by geeky adults, they'd likely overlook it for a family with young children.


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## phatchristy (Jul 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jeanine123* 
If you're going someplace for a few days or a week or so you might want to look into vacation rentals. Vacation Rentals by Owners (vrbo.com) is a great site with locations all over the country and world. You can rent a house/condo, often for close to the same price as a hotel suite and you have more room and your own kitchen.

Seriously, we've been doing this now for several years and will NEVER go back to hotels again!


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Embassy Suites. My family had 6 people and we always fit. They have a bedroom with two double beds and a then a separate living room area with a pull-out couch.


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## chfriend (Aug 29, 2002)

The other upside of Embassy Suites is the free breakfast.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamatoablessing* 
If you decide to go with one room, I would be very cautious about putting yours kids to sleep on a hotel room floor. Make sure there is enough bed space. I have been in some hotels with floors so gross you can't even take off your shoes. They're generally not very clean places in general but the floors have to be the worst. Or maybe the bedspreads????

LOL! barf. this wasn't even a thought. honestly the 7 of us sleep in TWO beds at home, we can certainly do it in a motel!!!! dh and i and the 2 babies co-sleep, and the 3 older kids all sleep together. Stupid mainstream mentality of one person to a bed except 2 for a married couple......


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chfriend* 
The other upside of Embassy Suites is the free breakfast.

As well as a free happy hour with drinks and snacks!

We stay at a lot of Embassy Suites and all are busy enough that the front desk likely won't even notice the extra child going thru the lobby.


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## BAU3 (Dec 10, 2001)

In my experience, most hotels don't really care how many people are in your family...just say 4, check in with the whole brood and ask for a cot if you want. I don't think anyone would give you a hard time for fitting your family in one room...I don't travel a whole lot,but have yet to even get a second glance from any hotel...and as a matter of fact when I tried to book on line one time, and wasn't able to because I had too many people per room, I called the hotel and the woman sort of chuckled and said well, yes.. we'll just say its 4.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chfriend* 
Ahem.....making the reservation for 4 and just having one person checking in get the key, then waltzing in isn't an option, I guess.










yeah, we have really been thinking about doing this... and from googling hotel rooms for big families, it seems like others do it too. Like I said before, we could comfortably sleep 3 to a bed (king) so no one would have to sleep on the floor (which I agree, is gross). It's not like we are trying to fit 6 or 8 adults and only pay for one room.

I'm also going to look into the vacation home rentals, even though I'm thinking the weekly rate would be a lot more than I had wanted to spend on a hotel. It would be nicer, though, because I am not looking forward to sharing a small room with 6 people when we are used to having more than enough space at home. But again, we will only be there to sleep and get ready.

Embassy Suites are nice, I forgot about that option. We have stayed in them when DH's work was paying the bill and we had a kitchen, upstairs, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, etc., very much like a townhouse. I will check out their pricing.


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## MayBaby2007 (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chfriend* 
Ahem.....making the reservation for 4 and just having one person checking in get the key, then waltzing in isn't an option, I guess.










Do this.

I work at a hotel. Our limit is 2 people in a room with one King. 4 people in a room with 2 queens. We are strict if it's an obvious "party" group but most of us turn our heads when it's a family with small children. There are some people here are black and white, no exceptions. Others are pretty cool (like me







). Get a feel for the hotel and staff--you might get permission to bring everyone in, instead of sneaking around. (There's also the "children under 12 are free" thing that most hotels have. Even if you have 2 adults and 4 kids...under 12 doesn't really count. Call and ask before you go).

Most hotels do have inside entrances, where you have to come through the lobby. But, there are also 2 or more side entrances you can use to get into the building (that's fire code...every hotel should have multiple entrances/exits).

Grossness of hotels? Uh, yeah. Bring your own bedding. Before working at a hotel, I always brought my own. Since working at a hotel....I _always_ bring my own bedding. The sheets are generally okay. It's the blanket/bed spread that's gross (they only get washed every few months...or longer). But the blanket touches your sheets. So, I rip everything off and put my own stuff on.

I wanted to rent a Jacuzzi suite for me and dd sometime soon. I don't have a bathtub at home and I thought it would be nice to chill and take a bath together and all that. But then I remembered that she will *need* to run around naked after a bath. That has put off planning...cuz I do NOT want her running/sitting naked in a hotel room.

Oh, and make sure you get a travel coupon book. In the midwest we have the "travel buddy book" specific for this area. You can get some good deals in there.

GL!

ETA: Just an FYI, if you make a reservation, deal directly with the hotel. All these third party places (hotels.com, travelocity, etc) are a total rip off. You can get better deals with AAA, AARP and GOVT discounts or coupons with the hotel directly.

And a sheet to cover the floor and a sleeping blanket works quite well for anyone who needs to bunk on the floor.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

MayBaby, thank you for your post! Lots of good info.


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## cedoreilly (May 21, 2005)

We usually camp but we when we have had to, we have gone the condo route.


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## mama_mojo (Jun 5, 2005)

If you know where you're stopping, Craigslist is a handy way to find places for cheap that are willing to cater to families. Useful even at last minute type stops, as long as you have time to wait for calls or replies.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bobandjess99* 
Actually, I wouldn't be like..morally opposed to that, lol, and have in the way past...but most places today except really low-end have INDOOR room access now..as in, you have to tramp everyone through the lobby to get to your room. So it's sort of hard to do that anymore...

And I'm looking for like 1 night at a time, "flop after spending the day at the amusement park instead of driving a couple hours home" type stuff. not at all worth looking for a condo or whatever..just really looking for a CHEAP place to all lay down for a few hours. Definitely not something worth paying out the nose for 2 hotel rooms, or even a pricey "suite".

over spring break, my sister and I took my four and her one kid to baltimore for an overnight. She found the room super cheap on priceline or similar, it was a downtown nice hotel. Anyway, she checked in, bellhop took all our junk ( I swear we looked like the clampets, lol) and we all went in. Noone ever said anything about the fact that we had 2adults and 5kids in one double room, lol. It was a wee bit tight, but definitely not undoable.

So, the moral of my story was, don't ask, don't tell, lol, and check priceline or similar. The hotel we stayed at was regularly $145/night, we paid $40.


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## My3guys (May 27, 2009)

We travel a tremendous amount and are five. The majority of hotels do not allow a group our size in a room. We don't lie and we don't feel comfortable cheating the hotels. There are also logistical issues. We like to get up and go first thing and if all of us were sharing one bathroom, that will never happen. Plus, there are never enough towels. Finally, if we want to stay up and chat or watch tv, we need the separate space so we don't wake the kids. We often get two connecting rooms which works well. Family suites are very common. Embassy Suites is one of our favorites with traveling with the kids...plus the breakfast and happy hour. If we are staying for a longer period of time, we ALWAYS rent a condo. Some hotels at resorts have condo buildings (Marriot Vacation Club, for instance) that work great. Also check out vrbo or red week for condo rentals.

Have a great vacation.


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