to ask for my own hotel room on business trip?

Because it’s then up to others to also stand up and refuse, not for the OP to agree just because others are! It’s a ridiculous expectation!

Same! Can’t think of anything worse!

There’s no way I would share a room with a colleague, either they provide me a sole occupancy room or I don’t go

I'm a introvert. Sharing a room has always been my idea of hell. I need the evenings to decompress, even if it's just an hour before bed.

Yanbu. I’m pretty friendly with my work colleagues as we are a small team, but I still don’t want to be seen in my jammies in front of them or let them see my quirks or weird habits up close or have polite bedtime conversations in the dark with them! Room sharing is pretty intimate I think. Tell them to jog on and book you a private room. How tight are they?

You have hit the nail on the head @TheSmallHours

Maybe there’s an age difference, with younger people more willing to share and older people more needing of sleep and privacy. I was willing to share in my 20s. Not any more.

We were all young and were happy to overdo it for a few days.

Interestingly as a teacher for over 20 years I have ALWAYS had to share with another teacher. We never get our own rooms (4 schools)
is this the same experience as other teachers?

And if people don't want to play hard? What if they need to sleep?

We used to do a trade show every year and had to share with colleagues for 5 nights. We worked hard and played hard.

Even as a junior member of staff 40 years ago I wasn’t expected to share a hotel room on a training course!

I bet the senior management team aren’t sharing!!

One thing always sticks in my mind, when I was asked to deputise for the chief exec at a meeting in London. There and back in one day on the train. He made sure I travelled first class, as that’s what he would have done.

You think it’s reasonable to share a
roim with a stranger?
Not a chance in hell would I agree to this and anyone who would be ok with it is in the minority

Absolutely not. I share with my best friend for one night when we do the Christmas markets or similar, and this is more than enough. Work colleagues are essentially an unknown quantity outside of a work setting, strangers really in most cases, so no to sharing.

Every year I go to a trade show abroad for work with a large group of colleagues and we are all expected to share a room with another colleague for FIVE NIGHTS. When I first started at the company a few years ago and was told this I was in shock, but everyone else just accepts it so I’ve just fallen in line too as I don’t feel senior enough to question it. But I hate it. One year I even had to share a room with two other colleagues as we got a family suite with two single beds and a double. There was still only one bathroom between the three of us though. It’s so awkward and you feel like you have no downtime whatsoever.

there is no employment law on this
The company is paying for it so it is their policy that dictates who gets what.
Just the same as policy may fund "senior" staff to go first class and less senior go coach class.

Refusing to share is a stance you can of course take. They can refuse to accommodate your request and you can refuse to go as a consequence of that reaction. Might "damage" your future prospects, night not. Impossible to say from here.

I once had to share with same sex colleagues but we made sure our manager never did that to us again.

My previous company would pay for twin rooms, and I said that I would prefer not to go as I would only be ok with a single room due to anxiety (since been diagnosed with ADHD and ASC, which explains my increased anxiety a bit). My line manager passed it up, and I was given a single room. Definitely worth asking. They just didn't want to pay for everyone to have one.

You should not need an excuse. It's totally out of order for them to expect this.

Same at my work.

It happens at my work now, a large global corporation. Unless of course you are senior management then you get your own room.

If you need an explanation that's not fart-based 😂 I have previously had to explain to HR that I have severe sleep disturbance that can lead me to scream, wander round the room, try to wake up other people and involve them in my nonsense, etc. I generally sleep through all of this, but the poor soul in the room with me generally doesn't. Feel free to borrow my condition if it helps!

I bet they wouldn’t expect an all male training course to share rooms.

I’m going on holiday with DP shortly and am dreading sharing a room with him, let alone a stranger. 20 years of my snoring puts me on edge about waking him up. I would feel even worse for a stranger.

Yep, I know a group of lads that this was the norm - hotel budget £100 each or share a room and split the difference. That's fine if you both agree and are getting a little bonus out of it.

We have a father and son on our team, when we all go out, we all get separate rooms.

Ugg no. Even as the lowliest of grad trainees I was never expected to share a room. It’s just totally inappropriate. People need some privacy and down time. Last few trips away I’ve had some really early nights and spent time calling family. You just can’t expect that of employees at all. I can sort of see smaller companies trying it on but there is no excuse for a global corporate.