How strict on adult cut off in accommodations? E.g., 2 adults per room in Premier Inn

Its hard to say, but since you put your case so well, i'd be tempted to email the same to the Premier Inn head office and see what they say. At least then you will have an official yes or no and confirmation if yes, in writing. I'd be stunned if they said no. Good luck.

After looking at the Premier website, I would say that the additional beds (one is a "youth" bed, the other a cot) in the family room are really too small for a 16 yo. According to the website, if you book directly with a particular Premier hotel, you might be able to get two adjoining rooms. If you look around more, you might be able to find places with rooms for three or four adults. Although accommodations like this are not a ubiquitous in Europe as they are in the US, they do exist.

Why not contact the hotel directly and ask? You probably would need to explain the situation, but you wouldn't necessarily need to do so in the presence of your son.

This past May, we were 3 adults travelling, because we met up with our daughter who was going to school in England and travelled with her. We did a combination of hotels, self-catering apartments, and B&Bs, and we managed to find reasonably priced places (for Scandinavia and Britain). For instance, in Bergen, Norway, we got a "family room" at the Grand Terminus Hotel. The room was quite spacious, for a European hotel, and my daughter slept on a rollaway bed that was put in the room.

In Copenhagen, we stayed at a small apartment that was connected with a hotel, so we had the space, privacy, and amenities of an apartment with the services (including breakfast) of a hotel. Try searching for "apartment hotel" if you want to look for places like that.

I find, also, that some hotels that don't allow you to book more than 2 adults online actually have 2 queen-sized beds, which can work for a family situation such as yours, and it is possible to book these by contacting the hotel.

So, talk to someone at the hotel, explain your situation, and see if they are able to accommodate you.

Thanks all, really good food for thought. I had assumed the beds were standard size. They are used to folding cots and sofa beds when we travel, but if it's something else, then PI wouldn't work I guess. I will check it out.

On the other hand, knowing about their approach to corporate responsibility makes me want to make it work!

Direct contact before we book anything (or decide not to book anything) is probably the best approach.

You didn't mention which Premier Inns you were considering and they aren't all exactly the same. Also, 16 yr. olds.come in different shapes and sizes. I looked at different PI properties and it looks like some of the newer ones have rooms that are a bit bigger, I.e. Waterloo. So, I would recommend looking at the traveler photos for the properties you are interested in ( I checked them out on Trip Advisor). Some of the properties show a bench thing that might work for your son, depending on his size. This chain seemed to be very popular with families when we stayed at PI County Hall, but I don't see any photos showing the "couch" thing in their rooms that they have in other ones, our room certainly didn't. The PI at Leicester Square says their rooms are smaller, so be aware of that one.

We visited the UK for a month in 2013 and a month in 2014. Our son was 15 and 16 for those trips. We stayed in many Premier Inns, in family rooms, and never had a problem with reservations or checking-in (we always told them our son's age).

Their website states children 16 and younger stay free. They also get a free breakfast at their restaurants, when one adult orders a full Premier Inn Breakfast or Meal Deal. We always had the breakfast buffet and it was fine for an earky start to our days.

Our family rooms always had a king/queen bed and a twin or sofa-bed. Being the short one in our trio (I'm 5'2", hubby and son are both over 6'), I generally took the smaller bed. It was always comfortable.

If you click on this link, the rooms we had are pictured on the left: http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/why/family.html?cid=KNC_Brn_G_UK_US_Eng_Enc_OG_Pure%2BBrand_EX&mckv=sgTNrXqBv_dt%7Cpcrid%7C140347599266%7Ckword%7Cpremier%20inn%7Cmatch%7Ce%7Cplid%7C&gclid=CN2k75nxqc8CFYqPfgodFTEL_w

PI states, too, "Family rooms aren’t available at all our hotels. Where we can’t offer you a family room, you can book a second room for up to two kids aged fifteen or under, for 50% of the standard room rate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The second room must be booked direct with the hotel, not online." So, there are other options, including an adjoining room, where one of you could sleep in the same room as your son, while the othet slept solo (with the door open, between the rooms).

"They are used to folding cots and sofa beds"

Just be aware that "cots" are a bit different in the UK, the word may cause confusion when communicating with hotels:

http://www.rainbowwoodsouth.co.uk/images/cotsandcotbeds/kerry-cot.jpg

Noting Leslie's post , it's quite accurate and informative . We have used Premier Inns frequently on our travels in the UK , and recommend them heartily . As stated , the newer locations often have the bed and sleeper foldout which will easily accommodate your needs . The available breakfast service is excellent and the rooms are spotless and very comfortable . Our first choice when in the UK .

We stayed at a Premier Inn in Durham when my kids were 13 and 15 (I think). It was only 29 pounds for the night. I remember worrying about the bed situation, but it was absolutely fine. The beds folded out on the floor and we made them up. They would have been big enough for me. We did stay in some places where my younger son's bed was smaller than a US twin, narrower. I'm not sure about the length.