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Feet Square

I am looking at hotels in Scotland and seeing room sizes at 70 ft2. To me that is 7’x10’. Other hotels will list a room in sq ft. In a reasonable size. Internet searches suggest that sq feet and feet sq are the same. Anyone know the difference, or should I just avoid these closet size hotel rooms?

Posted by
6113 posts

A 70 sq ft room is 7 x 10 or 14 x 5 etc.

70 ft2 is 70 x 70 ft.

Posted by
4761 posts

A 70 sq ft room is 7 x 10 or 14 x 5 etc.

70 ft2 is 70 x 70 ft.

Holy moly! That's bigger than my entire house!

Posted by
19052 posts

I agree that 70 feet square would be 70 ft x 70 ft or 4900 ft².

But that's not what they are talking about here. 70 ft2 is just 70 ft² (70 sq ft) made by someone who doesn't know how to make a make a superscript 2 ( or ²) on a computer. It is 7 ft x 10 ft or 14 ft x 5 ft or 8.367 feet squared. 8.367 ft is about 8 ft 4.4 in.

To make a superscript 2 on a Windows computer, hold down the Alt key and type 0 1 7 8 on the numeric keypad.

Posted by
3514 posts

70 square feet is not the same as 70 ft ^2

70 square feet is any two numbers when multiplied together give 70. So 10' x 7' = 70 square feet. The area referred to does not have to be a square, rectangle, or any regular shape. It just has to be a surface area measurement.

70 ft^2 is 70 squared or 70 x 70 = 4900 feet. It is a linear measure.

If they meant 4900 square feet, they would have to say 70 square feet squared. Or 70 sq. ft ^2. Bu it is just not done that way.

Square feet does not equal feet squared.

Those listing 70 ft2 are expecting you to know they mean 70 square feet, not 4900 feet.

Posted by
19052 posts

they would have to say 70 square feet squared

No, they would have to say "70 feet squared". 70 square feet is an area. Area squared is meaningless unless you believe in a fourth dimension.

Like I said, they wanted to say it was 70 ft², but didn't know how to make the superscript 2 for square feet, so they just used a regular 2.

Posted by
6113 posts

Wherever they wrote, 70 sq ft is too small for a bedroom. It’s a cupboard!

Posted by
222 posts

Hello,

I would just suggest using Airbnb's. We have used them in Greece, Paris, Italy and in the states with no issues. Actually, we found most of them to be better quality and size is not an issue. There are MANY of them all throughout Scotland.

As far as the measurement part, well I will let the others figure that out :)

Posted by
4526 posts

I have to think this is one of those 'single' rooms at a slightly lower price than a 'double' room but much less space. I haven't found them comfortable or of value. However, I note a growing trend for GenX focused hotels to size down sleeping rooms and upsize the lobbies with things like pool tables, communal work tables, 24/7 coffee and light beverages. Places like NYC are embracing this given their lack of space. Some are designing rooms and calling them cabins, dressed in a nautical theme to essentially put in bunk beds with an under bed drawer and that's it. I can't even recall if there was an ensuite.

Posted by
47 posts

I looked at pictures of the 70 ft sq room and it is not close to anything measuring 7x10 or 70x70.

Could it be a linear rather than an area measurement? If so, then the sum of the 4 sides would be 70 ft. Odd shaped rooms would require some serious geometry to determine sq ft so this may be more precise and easier to list. Simplistically, the 4 sides might be 15', 15', 20', and 20' (15+15+20+20=70). If so, then a close enough measurement would be 15'x20' or 600 Sq ft which would be approximately 70 ft Sq.

Thoughts?

Posted by
222 posts

Way to much worrying about the room when its the atmosphere outside that makes all the difference. Again, I would just search other options for a bigger place if this is a huge concern.

Posted by
19052 posts

I still say if it was shown as 70 ft2 it is most likely 70 ft². Or maybe it was measured in meters, not feet. Remember, this is a part of the world that is "changing" to metric. A meter squared is about 11¾ ft², so a 70 m² room would be a little over 800 ft². That's still a pretty big room. My last apartment ( 2 BR) was about 900 ft², total.

Are you looking at that picture online? Perhaps you could provide a link so we could judge the size for ourselves.

Internet searches suggest that sq feet and feet sq are the same

It's true in a way, but only for 1 ft. 1 ft squared is equal to 1 ft², but 2 ft squared is equal 4 ft², not 2 ft².

Posted by
47 posts
Posted by
26840 posts

The measurements don't seem accurate. They list one measurement for each selectable room category, but the pictures often show different rooms of apparently different sizes. The last picture for the single room is consistent with a lot of the budget rooms I've had in Europe. It is listed as 65 ft², and it looks as if it might be about 65 sq. ft. (possibly excluding the bathroom). The second and third pictures seem to show a larger room, and one of them even shows two beds. I think the hotel has done a sloppy job of putting together its listing.

Posted by
119 posts

If anyone has stayed at a Premier inn Hub, the small rooms are a clever design innovation, 11.5 square metres (124 sq ft) equivalent to around 11 ft x 11ft.

Maybe someone is overthinking the room size issue? for me the most important requirements in accomodation are, room quietness, cleanliness, a comfortable double bed/mattress, excellent shower/bath, room climate control/storage/nice breakfast room, the Hub I stayed at in Edinburgh more than met these standards, with a desk, triple glazing, USB and hdmi ports, smart tv, even a 2 pin continental socket.

Yes, a tad small if you are staying for several days and limited privacy if sharing, but the small Hub concept does what it says and is popular.

Posted by
752 posts

The actual hotel website may explain the photo confusion:

No two rooms are the same in shape and layout, reflecting the individuality of the Golden Lion’s heritage. We have several rooms ideal for disabled guests. Free internet broadband is available in the Golden Lion’s public areas and a lift serves all five floors.

If I were booking this hotel, I’d call or email to discuss and select a specific room. The website images don’t reflect the diversity of the rooms. Most hotels will honor the booking.com price if it turns out to be lower than the hotel website.

Posted by
8261 posts

Laughing at many of the responses. Any of my freshmen algebra students could have explained this in a second. It just notation. 70 square feet is often noted as 70 ft^2.

No big mystery here.