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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want a UK hotel room which sleeps a family of five

282 replies

Dishwashersaurous · 08/01/2022 09:47

So, thinking about having a break in another UK city for a couple of days over half term just to have a break.

We're a family of five, three children primary age.

I envisaged a hotel room with two double beds, like those you get in US motels. Kids more than happy to share a bed.

We've only camped or cottages in UK before.

Now, despite searching and searching it seems that it is impossible to get a hotel room to sleep five. Which means two rooms, which obviously is much more expensive, when literally going to just be sleeping. We all happily sleep in one room in a tent.

So, good people of mumsnet, AIBU to hope someone can help me find a hotel room which sleeps five. Or don't they exist

OP posts:
rifling · 08/01/2022 12:58

I agree with phoning the hotel - often they say capacity is 4 but they can add an extra bed. Also youth hostels are great! We stayed in one, recommended on here, that was like a castle.

rifling · 08/01/2022 13:03

For example, we stayed here a few years back and the kids loved it. It says for 4 but they added a bed.
www.ffolkes.org.uk/family-room

silkience · 08/01/2022 13:05

@Dishwashersaurous hotels.com will let you search for 2 adults and 3 kids in one room

PegasusReturns · 08/01/2022 13:06

Don't sneak children in. If anything were to happen you wouldn't have a leg to stand on

What does this even mean?

Im

BoredZelda · 08/01/2022 13:08

Hilton do a second room half price for kids, but they don’t advertise it well. They often also have interconnected rooms.

Unfortunately this is the problem of having a family of 5. We never stayed in hotels as kids for this reason.

PegasusReturns · 08/01/2022 13:09

Booking.com will let you search for one room and 3DC. You can then filter for hotels only if that is your preference

Beachcomber74 · 08/01/2022 13:11

We stayed at The Grand in Brighton in one of their big suites it was reasonably priced and loads to do with 9, 11,13.
The premier inns do big family rooms and it’s officially 4 but we have managed with 5 no problem.

BoredZelda · 08/01/2022 13:13

The fire thing is ridiculous as there's no way that the hotel would have a clue who is in and who is out at the time.

The buildings are designed for a maximum occupancy which is based on a calculation of how long it takes x number of people to escape in a fire safely. Over occupancy is one of the biggest causes of death in a fire as people can’t escape in time and succumb to smoke inhalation.

But sure, you decide that your individual circumstances trump the safety of other guests, and just hope that half the other guests haven’t decided the same thing.

Envoitrevisage · 08/01/2022 13:19

@Dishwashersaurous it’s easy on the Voco website, literally pick a date and then add the people.

To want a UK hotel room which sleeps a family of five
APurpleSquirrel · 08/01/2022 13:29

We stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton London Docklands at October half term & had a room with two Queen beds & a double sofa bed so could sleep 6, though we were only a family of 4.

DeepaBeesKit · 08/01/2022 13:39

They probably don't do it because you will get stag/hen dos sneaking loads of adults in one room to save money.

Also alas they arent there to provide cheap holidays, they are there to make money and can make more making people take 2 rooms. I think airbnb has also taken some market share for families looking for city accomodation.

DeepaBeesKit · 08/01/2022 13:41

Is there any reason you don't want Airbnb? Hotels can be expensive, you might find you can get a reasonable 2 bed Airbnb and it's nice having a sitting room & kitchen when you are away with younger children as I doubt you want to go to bed at the same time as your primary school kids!

Janek · 08/01/2022 13:48

A colleague of mine with four children claims his family always use one room in a Premier Inn. I think the youngest two share a bed, but he apparently always agrees it with the hotel in advance.

maddening · 08/01/2022 13:51

We had a suite in Liverpool that had a bed and 2 sofa beds in the lounge x

1winterblues · 08/01/2022 13:58

Sorry not read the whole trip, but we use travel lodges and just sneak and extra child in. They really don't care.

Also discovered youth hostels which are quite cheap, you can get private rooms for families and we have paid about £60 in some big cities for breaks

skellingtonboot · 08/01/2022 14:24

@Lemons1571

The trouble with interconnecting rooms is that you generally get charged for 2 rooms.

Hilton have a few 5 person rooms - 1 double 3 singles or 2 doubles 1 sofa bed. You can search for these specifically which also helps.

Well of course you would get charged for 2 rooms. Why on earth wouldn't you?
Thelovelyflower · 08/01/2022 14:24

Just ring the hotels. We are a family of 5 and tend to book fully refundable places for a family of 4 on Booking.com and then contact the hotel after making the booking to check if it's ok to bring a 5yo too. Lots of places are fine with it and don't charge extra if an extra bed isn't needed.

jetadore · 08/01/2022 14:28

We just stayed in a premier inn family room which had a double and two single beds. I’m sure trvelodge is the same. If your kids are happy to sleep together in the double then you and oh can take the singles? Not as comfy for you as the double has the decent mattress but would work, maybe the smallest child in with you and the others on the singles? Anyway that’s what I’d do,

OhThatChicken · 08/01/2022 14:51

We took our kids to Hyatt House Manchester - it's an apartment hotel, you can basically get a room that is a bedroom (with a massive king size bed we put our two DC in) and then a living/dining area with a pull-out sofa bed (where the grown ups slept - with the added benefit that we could watch TV/make drinks etc once the kids were asleep).

It's not cheap (about £140 a night) but we all absolutely loved it and it was a perfect base for a weekend exploring Manchester.

I'm not sure if they have others elsewhere.

FAQs · 08/01/2022 14:57

Have you looked at YHA they have set ups for families and some of them are really nice now.

FAQs · 08/01/2022 14:58

Oops missed they had already been suggested 👍

mrsmoppp · 08/01/2022 15:06

Family of 5 here. Premier inn and sneak one in.

Original poster
Dishwashersaurous · 08/01/2022 15:25

Thanks his isnwhat I did and only apartments etc came up. Or when then tried to book the hotel, wouldn't allow only one room.

OP posts:
Original poster
Dishwashersaurous · 08/01/2022 15:26

Sorry the booking.com filter is what I did. Only apartments or any hotels actually require two rooms if you try and book

OP posts:
bettybadger · 08/01/2022 15:51

This hotel has family rooms with 2 queens and a single - might not be quite the vibe you're after though (spa/golf). www.londonbeach.com/Hotel.html

But there are places out there. Hotels with family rooms will cater for at least 2 adults/2 kids and some will be large enough for an extra camp bed - will probably require a phone call though rather than being visible online...