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

[Dishwashersaurous]

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

Our family of five have stayed several times at the Durley Dean in Bournemouth. They have a variety of family rooms - plenty of space - and there's a pool there too. Not pricey.

Travelodge family room - you need to call them as it won’t be accepted online. If your children are all under 12 they will give you an extra single sleeper but only really in locations where room sizes allow it. Hilton Doubletree also do this.

Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall have family rooms. A double bed, and then a bunk room off this that has bunks or bunks + single bed.

Have stayed in at least 2 rooms here where we have booked for 2 adults and 2 kids and ended up with a triple bunk room.

That said, the rooms are like goldust and kids holidays very over-subscribed x

resident hotel soho will let you have five, I just stayed there (in the suite admittedly)

We have only got two children at the moment but our third is due in a few months. It's been something that is fiercely on our minds
It's hard enough to find a room allowing two kids, even when there are two double beds

I much prefer staying in an air bnb because I hate having no kitchen space, the snacks get so expensive without somewhere to feed the kids yourself and I also hate sitting in darkness when they go to sleep

At the resident I think it was like £250 for the night it had two rooms one of which was a sitting room but it had a sofa bed in. Our boys slept in that then down the hall way a bedroom for us. there was a kitchenette in the sitting room and it had a fridge and nespresso machine. They also do shopping for you ahead of your arrival and just charge what it costs.
Separate toilet / bathroom and walk in wardrobe

I honestly couldn't fault it it was so handy

I think all resident hotels are like this
Xx

And we've always done cottages before. But just really fancied a hotel, someone else cooking breakfast. And the kids are old enough that we can go out for dinner and then all go back and just crash into bed.

Thanks for all the suggestions

And even the couple of websites that do allow you to put in five people, like voco.

Then get this error message.

The number of persons travelling for your stay exceeds the capacity of the room type selected. Please select a different room type or increase the number of rooms

North Lakes hotel in Penrith has rooms that sleep 5. King bed, sofa bed and bunk beds that fold out of the wall.

Going forward, france often has big family rooms, can recommend multiple places , also Germany too. Family of 4 but the spare bed was useful for cases

Hotels are subject to a lot of regulations related to occupant per square footage and insurances around room occupancy which is why they won't let you take a room 'for 4' and put 3 little ones in a double bed.

I used to work for Premier Inn and hated CFs like the PP's friend. If there'd been a fire the rescue services would search that room for 4 potentially unconscious occupants to rescue as per the rooming list, not 5.

Bigger rooms designed to accommodate 5 are around but few and far between, more and more those rooms are converted to master suites now which command a higher rate.

Unfortunately it's one of the considerations when having a 3rd child, it makes any kind of travel that includes a hotel twice as expensive than for a family of 4.

Swan Hotel in Wells has "Mews" appartments which are like tiny cottages on the hotel site - have a kitchen and sitting room and 2 bedrooms - the biggest have bunk beds and you could add an extra pull out bed. Bedruthen Steps in COrnwall has family suites with a tiny bunkroom which can accomodate 5.

We stay at the Mayfair on Stratton street in London. 2 double beds

But it’s not cheap. Depends on budget.

Unfortunately it's one of the considerations when having a 3rd child, it makes any kind of travel that includes a hotel twice as expensive than for a family of 4.
Not very helpful when your sevond child turned out to be twins.

@Janek

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.

I work at a PI and that would never be the case, the only way he gets away with it would be by sneaking the extra child in.

It’s so frustrating. There was a chain hat had a discount on for second room but I can’t remember who they were now

Marriott will often let you squeeze into their rooms with two doubles if you have 3 kids. Just call the hotel to book (vs booking.com) and usually they are very happy for you to sell share (provided you pay for the extra stuff like breakfast if you’ve gotten a room with the breakfast rate etc).

Well of course you would get charged for 2 rooms. Why on earth wouldn't you?

Because some hotels offer a second half price.

If there'd been a fire the rescue services would search that room for 4 potentially unconscious occupants to rescue as per the rooming list, not 5.

That’s untrue and it’s spouting nonsense like this that is easily dismissible that means people will continue to do it.

There was a chain hat had a discount on for second room but I can’t remember who they were now

Hilton do it.

Not very helpful when your sevond child turned out to be twins

But the risk you take nonetheless.

I’m sure hotel staff are far too busy to check whether someone is sneaking extra children in for free and having free breakfasts into the bargain.

I just wouldn’t do it because it’s lying. But it seems there are plenty of people who are happy to lie to get a cheaper holiday, if this thread is anything to go by.

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. @BoredZelda

Building occupancy is worked out on a spacing factor , escape width and travel distance. I'm interested in where your information is from around over occupancy . The number of people killed in fires in non-domestic buildings is about 50 a year in the UK . You are right smoke inhalation is a killer . The number of people killed in hotels in the UK in the last few years solely because of a crush in escaping must be near zero.

@Warmduscher

I’m sure hotel staff are far too busy to check whether someone is sneaking extra children in for free and having free breakfasts into the bargain.

I just wouldn’t do it because it’s lying. But it seems there are plenty of people who are happy to lie to get a cheaper holiday, if this thread is anything to go by.

It's not necessarily trying to get a cheaper holiday, it's any holiday. We haven't holidayed in five years because of the increased cost. It's unaffordable now.

Watergate Bay Hotel, near Newquay in Cornwall has family suites which accommodate 5. I used to work there and yes, they do get booked up well in advance for the school holidays but cancellations do come up. Not so bad during term time as you'd expect. It's a wonderful hotel but very much on the pricey side.

Also I can understand the room occupancy for fires but I can promise you my husband and I would be carrying our under 5s out in a fire!

We always booked two interconnecting rooms, they worked well and had the benefit of two bathrooms.