To split accommodation cost by adult not by room

[nwth73]

Going on holiday with a group of friends - have been holidaying together since uni. Some now have families. Make up of the group is:

Family 1 (2 adults, 1 baby)
Family 2 (2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby)
Single adult
Couple 1
Couple 2

In the past, we have always split the house cost equally amongst the adults. Couple 1 is a recent match, last year they were a single (in their own room).

House has got 6 bedrooms, 2 are interconnecting with 1 being a very small box room for the toddler of family 2 - it would not fit even a single adult.

I (for my sins as the organiser) have proposed to count the toddler as a half and then split the cost across the group. So Family 1 and each Couple pays £631, Family 2 pays £789 and single pays £316 (total cost for the week is c.£3k).

Couple 1 has come back and said the cost should be split by room since Family 2 is taking 2 rooms. Which would leave Family 1, the single adult and each Couple paying £500 and Family 2 paying £1000.

I don't think this is fair to the single adult in particular, who is paying twice as much as the other adults when in the past we've split it evenly (and couple 1 friend has benefitted from this before they became a couple).

AIBU to split it by person not by room? What is the done thing once children enter the fray and are taking up rooms of their own?

YABU - it should be split by room
YANBU - it should be split by person (and in what ratio of adults/kids?!)

Your approach sounds fine. I don't think its reasonable to charge the same price for the tiny toddler room anyway, especially if it won't fit an adult in it!

By person, otherwise the single people pay double.

I’d work out a cost per adult and cost per child, I do see the point that all the other adults without kids are subsidising the families taking more space.

Split per adult. I wouldn't count toddlers or babies. If the parents of the toddler were faced with paying for two rooms I'm sure they'd prefer to just share, and the room is too small for anyone else anyway.

Well couple 1 is a cheeky fucker - since they benefited from splitting between the adults last time. Point that out (politely but firmly).

If splitting across the adults is what you’ve done before, then it’s what you’ll do again. It is obviously the fairest way. Also you are the poor bugger going to all the trouble of organising it, so what you say goes.

I wouldn’t bother charging couple 2 extra for the box room, because it’s not like anyone else could use it. But it’s not a huge uplift anyway.

Definitely split by adults

We split by rooms. So a couple with 2 children pay for 2 rooms, a single adult pays for 1 room. If children are young enough to share a room with parents then they don’t pay extra. This is the fairest way as people are paying for the space they need to accommodate themselves, regardless of who else is or is not there.

When we go away with friends like this, we split per adult. I definitely wouldnt charge the couple with the baby twice as much. That seems quite unfair. I'm not even sure I'd charge for a toddler. A child, yes, but a toddler is still very small to be paid for.

In this case, I'd split per adult and ignore the children. If the toddler's room would not fit an adult, it's not really a 6th bedroom.

Very unfair to split by bedroom.

I would split by room - and I say that as a single adult!

if you liken it to staying in a hotel, you’d pay by room and maybe if you’re lucky you’d get a slightly cheaper rate for single occupancy. But as a single person I’d expect to pay by room, and as a family I’d expect to pay for 2 rooms if taking up 2 rooms.

If you split by room then family 2 may just decide to share, leaving the box room empty.

If couple 1 want to treat the toddler room as a full room and charge for it accordingly suggest they sleep in there, then family 2 can have one parent and one child in each of their original room and couple 1's former room. I mean, if they all cost the same then everything is up for grabs, right?

Split by the adults- the toddler is not taking up an adult bed or room and it’s not fair on the single friend to pay double.

But a hotel room is vastly different to “a small box room”.

It’s really not the fairest because it means a single person pays double.

This!
Tell them fine and then allocate them the box room.

Your way seems fairer. It's not a hotel, we don't need to tax our friends for being single. Usually the singletons end up with the smallest room and cede the best ones to families anyway.

If you split by room, can the single person have the biggest room? No reason why not if they're paying the same as the couples.

Split by adult is the fairest.

Split by person

And... How are you going to split the food bill?

Asking as I once got stung staying with a group of mostly single adults, we had the only children - v young at the time, prob 1 and 3. The food and drink shopping was all done by the organiser, who at the end calculated it per head so even though the kids basically ate about three mouthfuls it cost us as a family a lot of money. They were each charged the same as the other adults. Still stings. Was so surprised just paid it. Wouldn't these days.

I agree with most others, calumet rooms per adult, it's fairest and what the precedent is for your group.

Just divide per adult, but if people have started getting to this stage of pettiness, you might just have to accept the time of holidaying together as Uni mates is probably now passed.

Definitely per adult, wouldn’t include the kids at all

Split by adult. I doubt this holiday arrangement will contine when the kids get older to be honest so you don't need to worry about that for now.

Single gets the room to themselves £400
(More than half a couple, less than a 2 people paying)

other 4 couples pay £650 per couple

the half box room is more of a wardrobe! No extra charge.

id be happy with that, no matter which person I was.

Ask couple 1 who they think should take the tiny room?