Double room vs a single room cost difference

I think it depends on the relationship you have with your travel partner.

Is it someone you want to stay friends with or are related to?

How early did they go home?

Were you not able to change room configuration after the person left?

I'd probably go with just eating the cost. I usually get a a double room anyway as a solo traveler because I like a bit more room than the single rooms provide.

Ask a percentage back from whom? The hotel? No. They don''t owe you any money. Whether one person or two stays in the room, the cost is the same. You don't pay per person.

As for your travel partner...well...if they originally said they were going to stay for the entire time then decided to leave early, then you could alsk. But I will bet that's the end of the friendship.

You also have to keep in mind that not all hotels even have single rooms available - or they might have already been booked when you made your reservations, so you would have ended up staying in a double room anyway.

I have a feeling your travel partner isn't going to feel like giving you money. Then again, it doesn't hurt to ask.

There are a few important ideas to consider. First of all, what sort of relationship do you have with this person and what kind of relationship do you want to have with him/her in the future? Secondly, was there really that big of a price difference and over solo rooms and if so, how many times would a solo room actually have been available? Finally, what was the reason for the travel partner cutting the trip short? Family Emergency, Job emergency, or non emergency reasons?

I book rooms as a solo all the time. Most of the time there are only a few “solo rooms” available if any. Usually I end up in a double room anyway.

I understand why you may feel a bit “used” in these circumstances. I hope you can find a solution that helps you feel better about the disruption on your trip.

I agree with all the responses above. I'm assuming that it was a non-emergency reason, otherwise you probably would not have been thinking about talking to the travel partner about reimbursement. That said, no matter what you do, you might want to keep this as a lesson learned for the future. If you're traveling with someone that you don't have any control over, it pays to make sure that you have refundable lodging. That way, you might have been able to call the hotels ahead of time and cancel or change the double for a single room to save money.

Typically, when I travel solo, I don't worry about things like that because I pay with a credit card that has travel insurance. Granted, the reason for canceling has to be something like illness, injury, or death and so on, but I'm fine with that because I know that I'm not going to cancel the trip.

However, I'm taking two trips this fall and winter (one with my daughter and one with a sister, and I have no control over them and what might happen. Even though it would probably be a very good reason that they would cancel, it could still leave me holding the bag, so to speak. That's why all of my lodgings on those two trips are fully refundable up to one day beforehand.

And of course, one other thing you could do is to talk to your travel partner before you book anything and make sure you are on the same page about what happens if one of you has to cancel.

It would also be worthwhile doing research on what the cost difference is between single and double room at the hotel(s) you stayed at. Do some math and ask yourself whether the friendship is worth $x. In my experience you are talking about 10E a day or thereabouts. Travel is expensive, but I sense that attempting to bill your friend will not resolve what is really concerning you.

I agree with what others have said, but honestly, a bit confused about what you are asking.

Ask a percentage back from who? The friend? The hotels?

Is the trip done and gone with? Are you currently in the middle of it? Has it even started?

If the friend, and costs are fixed, then sure, let them know that the room cost was figured in for two, and find the difference between a single and a double, with them paying that difference. A single though is not half a double, usually only 20 to 30% less.

If you are still able to make changes to bookings, at least inform the hotel you are now a single, maybe they will switch rooms, which allows them to let a double, or they may just adjust the booking cost. If payments are made, and no refund available, then eat the cost.

Most of the advice I would share has more to do with planning a future trip upfront, sharing rooms.

For your situation post-trip, you sound like this isn’t a minor amount of money. If you were able to take this trip only because the expense of sharing kept it within your budget, then you need to bring it up with them. And a lot also depends on why they left early.

As others mentioned, the price for a single room is only slightly less expensive than a double.