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

I don’t think this is what you want but I know Butlin’s Bognor have 5 person rooms. One bed is a sofa bed.

There must be others who do this set up if they can.

Some hotels offer apartments such as Cotswold Water Park so you can enjoy a hotel breakfast.

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.

The OP and several other posters are saying they do it because it’s cheaper than booking two rooms. So it is to get a cheaper holiday.

You can dress it up all you like. It’s still lying.

Sorry, the OP hasn’t said she’ll do it but others are suggesting she does and saying there’s nothing wrong with lying to the hotel about how many people are in your party.

I would like to book one room.

No hotel will let me.

Therefore I won't book one room. I'm far too nervous to ever risk getting in without appropriate paperwork

The Merlin hotels (Chessington/Alton Towers/LEGOLAND) have lots of options for sleeping 5 or 6.

Not a city break I know but a fun night away for a family.

Extra two children!!! He was very insistent that it was above board. But my impression of him is that he's a bit of a blagger, so I shall choose to believe you!

Gah, quoting didn't work, that was @orangebonbon

We have had 5 person rooms at airport hotels if that might work for you ? We also have 3 x DC

Family of 5 here.
We air B and B for 2 nights. Works out well.
Most hotels require you to have 2 rooms and also my eldest is now reluctant to share a bed as she’s 13 now.
I would never ever sneak a child in becuse it’s a huge fire / evacuation risk and it invalidates the hotels insurance. If they see you, they will not be happy at all and I don’t like being dishonest

It's annoying but you either have to ring or pay for two rooms.

Trivago let's you search for 3 kids

We're a family of 5. We've stayed in more than a dozen different Premier Inns in the past year for 1-5 nights, in one room, and never had a problem.

It's probably an unnecessary step but we don't all enter and exit together. So I check in with 2 dc. Then go out to the car, give DH the check in card and directions and he brings in dc3. Then we leave and enter separately from then.

We always book for 2 adults, 2 dc and a toddler so there's a travel cot in the room - as in our experience you tend to get a bigger room then - we just put the cot down and two dc top and tail in one of the singles. I have no concerns about max occupancy as max is actually 5, just that one dc must be under 3.

Morally I'm OK with it. We book cheap Premier Inns to visit family or for weekend breaks or overnight theme park stays - stays that, had we had to book two rooms, we wouldn't have booked at all. So as far as PI profit is concerned, they get one room booking or none 🤷🏻‍♀️

Look for an apartment or AirB&B instead of a hotel

Put them down as two kids and an infant ( so you get the head count) then sneak them in.

@BoredZelda

'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.'

On what basis is this untrue? I went through numerous fire drills and a couple of genuine emergency evacuations when I was working in hotels and the fire service were handed a list/map of occupied rooms including number of occupants. Residents potentially more vulnerable (limited mobility or deaf) were highlighted. Residents who had evacuated themselves were checked off.

Unlikely as it might be that all occupants were rendered unconscious in a serious fire, rescue services would only look for the number listed. An extra child hiding under the bed or the duvet in fear could very easily be missed in chaos.

@CornishTiger

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

They're high end but Handpicked Hotels do this (at least the ones I work with do). 75% of the room rate for children sharing when their parents are paying full rate IIRC.

@ImInStealthMode

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.

Or in my case no consideration because I went for a second child and had unexpected twins! Nothing you can do there really! Such a pain when hardly anywhere caters for 5. Cottages you often have to get somewhere with 3 bedrooms for 6. It’s the same with holidays abroad Having 3 kids just cuts down your choices by 80%

@BoredZelda

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

But the risk you take nonetheless.

Then every single parent who has a second child has to factor that in and as the rate of twins is fairly low I don’t think many would even consider this a possibility when wanting a second. I certainly didn’t give it a second thought!

@Wtfdidwedo

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!

Not if you were both unconscious you wouldn’t.

We always found if you phone the hotel they'll put an extra bed in a family room. Now the kids are older we tend to book two rooms.

Adjoining rooms. Lock and block off one door so everyone uses the one outside door.

YHA hostel private rooms
Great fun for all

It's kind of utter utter made up bollocks about looking for listed occupants only! Lol. Fortunately firefighters are more sensible than most posters about the possibility of additional people being in rooms.

Bedruthan Hotel in Newquay have at least one room that accommodates 2 adults and up to 4 children.