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?!)

YANBU. Couple 1 is definitely a CF when they've clearly benefitted from paying half in previous years.
Reply 'the only way that is fair is if you and your partner take the box room, are you happy to do so?'
Otherwise, your split sounds perfect to me.

Hahaa I’d say this to them. Then say it’s a good point we will have to work out for future years when children are bigger but since no one else fits in that room its
basically a cupboard. I assume you’re willing to pay an equalisation adjustment, where you pay extra as you only paid for yourself when single and now single people have to pay for a whole room?

your original split sounds fair
If the whingy couple want it split by room, by all means - and give them the box room.

As a single in a hotel, you'd expect a bit of a supplement, but not necessarily double.
As a single, I wouldn't be happy subsidising everyone's children - but then pretty unlikely I'd choose to stay in a houseful of babies and children (or even that many adults!)

By person. At some point, children start counting as people (when they need their own rooms, probably).

Did family 2 specify that the toddler needed their own room? Is 6 bedroom accommodation much more expensive than 5 bedroom accommodation?

Reduction 25% for the single person and otherwise per room. The cupboard doesn't count unless the grumps want to sleep in it. When the kids get older only, per full room will work best, as long as the total bedroom size is agreed, so parents can share or have kids share or pick extra rooms, but an extra room is a bonus not an extra cost.

Splitting by adult seems fairer - by room doesn’t take into account all the communal space.
I guess you could do some combination of both but what a hassle and the master en-suite bedroom can’t possibly have the same weighting as the tiny toddler room.
Just looked up Center parks for woodland lodge on some random date:
2 bed £519
3 bed £549
4 bed £679
so average increase per bedroom is £80 - 4 bed definitely not double the cost of 2 bed! Working back a ‘zero bed’ would be £359 - so 53% the cost of the 4 bed.
I guess 50% could be split per person and the other 50% split per room (depending on how big/desirable the room is, not equally!)

I’m another per person - discount the babies and the toddler because nobody else can use that room anyway - if it’s 3k it would work out around 333 for the single person and 667 for the couples? ( I think)
food between adults and let the parents pay for the children separately sounds fair to me as well ( though children’s food isn’t likely to break the bank as an extra if you were to just straight split the bills there!)

Are the other non-toddler rooms equally desirable? I'd be really pissed off if I was paying double for the smallest or worst room if I were the single person.

It's pretty obvious the organiser chose this accommodation because it had the little room ideal for their toddler. If I were a couple paying 600 odd while a family of 4 were paying 700 odd, I think yes I would think that was a bit unfair. The box room can't be so small it wouldn't fit an adult or it would not have been advertised as a 6-bed. I think you should be paying per room but a lower price for the small box room to reflect that it's much smaller and only suited to a child. But I don't think the couple should have to subsidise the family which is what is happening with the figures suggested in the OP.

I would split by rooms.

I holiday regularly with a friend. When we started it was me and DD and her and her DD. Now shes had more kids its me and DD in one room, her children in another room, and her by herself in a other room. And so that she can hear the children if they wake up, she needs to be on the same floor as them, which means I always end up in a chilly cramped attic conversion while she has the master bedroom plus another bedroom. And yet me and her are still paying half each. It’s too awkward to change now but I feel ripped off and will probably stop the holidays because it’s become so irritating watching her swan off to the master with en suite while I scramble into the attic.

The OP suggested charging the toddler half the adult price. That seems fair as the room is tiny. I don't think a baby sharing a parents room should be charged anything.

This kind of thing always creates issues of fairness. However if you charge per room you should draw lots so that every person has a chance at the best room. If you charge per person you can put people in the rooms that suit them best. Hopefully the couple without children can accept a slightly smaller room than the family in exchange for the pleasure of everyone's company.

I’d split by room personally.

The 6th bedroom must be big enough to sleep an adult as it wouldn’t be advertised as a bedroom otherwise.

I would split by rooms, esp if that's akways been done before. Possibly make the toddler room a cheaper room.

That's how a hotel would do it.

Split per adult.

This made me chuckle.

We always split by adults with those of us with kids paying an extra £100 if the children share a room (generally 3 of them share a room) and nothing if in the room with the parents.
Those of us with kids also add more into the shopping kitty etc.

It's unreasonable to be per room especially if 1 is a box room for a toddler! They are just being tight!

Not true we have stayed in many accommodation advertised as 2 beds for it only to read further down second bedroom only suitable for children.

Iv stayed in lots of places and never had rooms suitable for only children if not advertised as so. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I like your thinking!

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.

Single occupancy usually has a surcharge and often you end up in a nasty little room.

We have gone in a group of friends but we each said what we wanted and paid accordingly.

Seems like a no brainier.

the couples with children did they ask you to find accommodation with extra rooms for their children or did they expect their children to be in the room with them?

if they expect children to have their own rooms then they should be paying extra for those rooms as the rental is going to cost more

if they are happy to keep the kids in their room then I would honestly only split the charge per adult

if you have made an error and not discussed this prior to booking then I would go back and ask the question ‘are you happy to keep the children in with you or would you like an extra room for them (obvs this means extra ££££ for your total accomm costs)’

definitely but the situation to them because it is their problem to solve not yours

In this particular case, Id split it by adult, and agree on a half payment for the toddler. Often per room works, but clearly in this case the tiny box room doesn’t count as a room.

Plus i do think couple 1 are very cheeky to suggest that now it’s per room, when they always benefitted in the past from it being per adult.

Not the point of your post at all but if I was the single person in this group I just wouldn't go! As a single person, I can't imagine worse than going away with four other couples. I hate being the gooseberry.