I’ve got six kids under ten. Typically, when we go to a hotel, we try to sneak the kids past the receptionist for fear that they might not allow us to stay in one room with 8 people. What is the official law on this? Is there a limit to how many people can stay in a room or is each Hotel different?
Generally, all hotels make their own rules for such things.
Occupancy limits are usually determined by state fire codes, and based on square footage, number of exits, etc. There is usually a sign on the back of the door of the room that will tell you the limit, along with fire exit locations.
Some hotels might look the other way as long as you don’t try to cram 20 people into a room that’s supposed to hold 5, but others might kick you out or ban you if you have extra.
Hotels are in business to make money. They also prefer that localized emergencies not turn into tragedies due to overcrowded exits.
As such, if the local laws require you to have two rooms for the number of people, that’s what you’ll need to get in most places. The number of people allowed in a room is generally listed on the website.
If you go to a place like “Embassy Suites” where each room is technically two rooms, they may be able to accommodate you and allow the extra kids. Most will even provide cots and cribs. You’d also save a fortune on restaurants if you could cook. If there’s a good continental breakfast, you might have to pay a small surcharge.
Fire codes are the ultimate limit. Hotels are legally (and morally) responsible for complying to them. Outside of multi-room suites, I can’t picture many rooms that would allow 8.
Most hotel offer rooms with connecting doors between them. If you call the hotel directly, they may offer a discount on the second room.
I’d call the hotel I was thinking of using and ask. Personally, I wouldn’t want to cram that many people into one room/bathroom and there must be little ones sleeping on the floor. I’d do adjoining rooms with one parent and three kids in each.
I notice that at least some of the hotel search sites (travelocity, expedia) allow you to select up to 6 children on the “number of children” pulldown menu. I haven’t explored further to see what kinds of rooms they offer when you make that selection.