4 people in 1 hotel room???

If the hotel offers only two single beds, then it's only for two people. Hotels in Europe are generally very strict when it comes to the number of people in the room.....many charge by the person, not the room. Check with the various hotel booking engines to look for 4-person rooms....but they are in short supply.

Putting 4 people in a room designed for 2 is the same as stealing food from a market. Pay for what you need or don't buy it at all.

"eurogeeks"-what an ugly word-Remember that you are guests in their country and that you are representing your own. Show some respect.

"if not what options are there besides hostels and getting 2 rooms?" Take more money or STAY HOME.

I agree with all of the other posters to this inquiry. Rent a room or apartment for 4 people. There are laws which govern how many guests can stay in a room. Do not try to rent a room for 2.

There are plenty of resources which have been discussed on this forum over and over again. Try looking at what others have said to previous questions and maybe use the links Rick Steves provides on this website.
Also, you had best be careful what you say. Folks there can understand more English than you may think and you'll just be asking for trouble by not being respectful of others when making such comments.
If you can't mind your manners, then stay home. Do not make a bad impression that other Americans will have to overcome once you are gone.

lol @ people getting mad at me ... just messing around everyone

thanks for the help tho, didn't realize european hotels are more strict about the people limit, bc i've done that many times in america lol

looks like hostels it is

No, you weren't "just messing around" and you know it. You were asking for advice on how to defraud hotel proprietors. Admitting you've done it here in the States doesn't make it any less dishonest.

He was. Notice where he is from -- part of the local culture. You can put four in a room -- we did it for years -- just ask for the family room. And a couple of times we were given two double rooms for the price of one family room - a small break. But a many hotels do not have family rooms so ask.

I agree that this guy is trying to pull one off but it is not necesary to make demeaning remarks about people's geographical location!!! Hoboken, for those of in you in other parts of the county, is now a very yuppified place to live for those who can't afford NY's exorbitant prices.

Please refrain on this board from making this kind
of negative comment about anywhere. It is not in the spirit of this board.

Jon, as in the U.S., as I have done many times, you could squeeze a few extra people into your room. I don't know what everyone is so uptight about, you are "renting" the room after all, and as long as your guests don't mind the discomfort of sleeping on the floor, and you don't disturb the neighbors any more than 2 people would, then go for it. Just remember that a lot of hotels are small establishments, so they may notice 2 unknown "guests" going in and out.

Jared, it's not a matter of being "uptight." In Europe, hotels will rent by the number of people occupying the room, not the room itself. If you rent a room for 2 and squeeze 4 people into it, then you are violating the contract you have with the hotel, essentially cheating them out of money you should have paid. Be aware, too, that in many European countries, the number of people booked into a room is limited by law, not just by the hotel rules. I am disappointed that you would condone such actions.

we ended up booking on venere.com, it had better results when searching for four-person rooms.

didnt expect to cause such a fuss with this question haha. jared thanks for getting my back.

lee it looks like my attempt to defraud the eastern european hotel system will have to wait till next year lol

I understand why everyone feels that the original post was trying to "get away" with paying less. However, my situation is that we're a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 middle school children). In the US, we can get a room with 2 queen size beds anywhere we travel. I find, however, that in Europe I'm having a difficult time finding 1 room that'll accommodate a family of four. Most of our stays are 1-2 nights and we don't really need an entire flat. We're not 4 adults trying to pay less for a room...we're a family who are trying to travel together. Any suggestions?

We often did B & Bs with our kids. Smaller, private places often had 2 rooms for us--which gave the 4 of us a bit of a break from all that togetherness. It was rather like being in two different bedrooms at home. Especially in Germany and Austria, we found the cost of two rooms in a private zimmer was less than hotels. In Venice, we found a room for 3 and they added a cot. You might ask (phone or email) if they have family rooms available.

Why is this post being revived? It was active in June of 2008. The mischief has been done, the OP (thankfully) has long since left.

Let the zombies sleep!

Christine,
You need to look for quad rooms. Some have two double beds, others some combination of doubles/twins. I've taken two Europe vacations with a family of four and stayed in quad rooms everywhere we went. Guide books often note which hotels have quad rooms. Sometimes hotels have something that will work even if they don't advertise it. A lot of posters on this site like apartments, but for short stays they often don't work. Maybe start a new thread letting us know where you are traveling, so that you can get some specific recommendations.

I agree with everything that Kathy said, and would give the same advice. Often, hotels have some quad rooms, but it may not be obvious on their website.

Also, travelling as a family of 4, with 2 middle-school kids, you might want to think about how many 1- and 2-night stays you have. With our kids, at least (who are currently 14 and 10), I'm still doing a lot of the packing and repacking for the 10yo, and giving the 14ho some help. Those shorter stays get old real fast, when you doing a lot of that packing to move to a new hotel.

This thread is nearly worn out, but I would just like to comment on the surprise that many Americans express at not finding huge rooms with 2 queen beds and giant bathrooms when they travel in Europe ... and often these are the same people who want to stay in "quaint family-run lodgings not huge chain hotels".

One can't have it both ways. Europe is OLD -- hotel rooms were often built up to 200 years ago -- not 10 years ago along a highway, like a Red Roof Inn!! You can get quad Rooms with swimming pools on Route 80 in Ohio ... but hey, you go to Europe for an experience with our cultural heritage, not a BeautyRest or plumbing shop-o-rama.

Thanks, Kathy and Lexma, for your helpful responses. I had posted on the "Travelers' Helpline" thinking that I would find thoughtful responses such as yours. Janet, while I generally agree with your assessment of American tourists wanting the Red Roof Inn, I feel that you were too quick to judge. I happen to be a first-generation American who has visited my German relatives on many occasions and have traveled extensively throughout Europe. I neither expect nor seek out the "Red Roof Inn" experience. Traveling with children, however, presents unique challenges and finding a room can be one of them.

Hi Christine ... no, I didn't think you wanted the Red Roof experience. My cavil was with people expecting to find easily the accommodations for four in ONE room. THere are many types of accommodation for 4 ... the most common (and economical) in Greece is the "studio unit". It has a BR with a double (or 2 singles) and a 2nd room with a mini-kitchenette niche and 2 daybeds/couches. These units are all over the Greek Isles and in many mainland towns and cities, AND they can be booked for just a 1 or 2-night stay -- I do it all the time. it's just the One Room aspect that people should not expect to find.

Each of those cities has fine Hostels with private rooms for 4 if you are trying to save money. B&B's and small hotels often have one or two rooms with more than two beds, and can add a bed for a fee. We are a family of 5 that has so far managed to find rooms in many cities that can accomodate us, but it is a chore. Hostels are easier, and when time permits, we like to rent apartments (urban) or cottages (rural) which are the best deal of all.

Don't sleep on the floor. Aside from the questionable morals of trying to slip that past the management, it's just not necessary with good hostel options. Many hostels take older folks, are reasonably quiet, clean, and simple to book. Add to that the likelihood of English speaking help with every common touristy question and it's ideal if you can handle the occasional bunk bed & thin matress.

Christine,

Try reserving rooms in two or three star hotels by using www.booking.com. The web site tells you not only the room rate for the hotel but also how many people the particular room is suited for. There are also quads available for your family of four.

I know of that type of set-up in Berlin, in a Pension, where a quad/family room consists of 4 single beds arranged in the large room; it's called a Mehrbettzimmer.

I traveled a couple of years ago with my two children, and will return this summer (they'll be 10 and 14). Last time, we did research and found lots of sleeping options. For us, Hostels did not end up being the most economical -- because with four they charged us the same whether the kids were adults or not. In Italy, we stayed in a convent -- very cool experience -- right across from the Vatican! Throughout Germany we had no problem finding what they called 'family rooms' or 'familienzimmer'. Sometimes it was a standard room with beds, other times it was more like a little suite. As long as we stayed with pensions, gasthauses, or 2-3 star hotels, I could normally find rates similar or better than a hostel. To get that, though, I usually emailed an inquiry to the owner with my dates, the ages of my kids, etc., and asked what they had available. Sometimes, the hotel had an apartment that was not even on the website. In Munich, for example, we had a great little top floor room in a historic hotel -- only downside was it was on the 6th floor with no lift. Made you VERY certain of what you were bringing with you when you left for the day. While most of our stays were for 1-2 nights, at 3 nights plus it seems that apartments are the way to go.

When traveling with children we have had very good success by e-mailing the B&B/Hotel directly. I would start with typical internet searches, then once I found a good rate for a double, send an e-mail to the hotel. Simply state your situation -- "We are a family of 2 adults and 3 children, I saw you have a double available for $X. That is about what I can afford. What can you suggest?"

Hotels often have a couple of 'oddball' rooms that are hard to rent in many cases -- -- sometimes they are behind the breakfast room, in the basement, or don't have a window in the room -- -- that will get offered as an unusual solution for a unique problem.

Hi Jon,

Some of the hotels in the accor chain have very resonable rates on family rooms. My husband, teenage son and myself will often use Novotel when we travel in Europe.

The rooms are nothing special but they are clean and well located in many city centres.

Paula

The original posting is dated 6/19/08.