Suddenly we need to book two rooms as DS is 13?

[deltapips]

I was browsing booking.com earlier for May half term breaks. My eldest is now 13 so the options that came up defaulted to two rooms rather than one which obviously doubles the price, argh!
There's a hotel in Dorset that we've been to twice. The first time our room had a double bed and bunk bed. The second time we were allocated a two bedroom apartment with a double bed and two singles. Both perfectly adequate for my family now. But I can't book that now.
I know I call them directly but I'm not sure I'd get the "free cancellation" option that I really like.
AIBU to be annoyed or should I just suck it up?

My ds is 17 and 6’3”. We still style it out in a family room. Just lie!

Jesus I don’t even like sharing a room with my dh 😂😂
Try directly through the hotel, there will be a real person there to talk to and they’ll probably be able to accommodate your request.
We’ve had separate rooms since they could basically walk and talk although rarely stayed in hotels because of this when they were little. Had interconnecting rooms for a wedding we went to.
I couldn’t imagine sharing a room with either of my parents now, or anyone other than dh (and even that’s begrudged 🙈 he snores like a fucker), I stay up late watching telly in bed or reading, plus I snore too.
My dc share a room when we stay in hotels now, eldest is 18, then 17 and then 11. They get snacks and drinks and have a little room party and dh and I are next door. It will be one or two nights - any longer than that and we’d find more suitable accommodation.
Holidays we steer clear of hotels and rent a house/villa/apartment with bedrooms for each of them to not have to share. I don’t want to compromise on comfort and it’s nice for them to have their own space.

Most hotels it's 18 anyway, if not just book as if they are younger. We still booked a family room (premier inn) for my DD's and I, as far as I'm concerned we are using the number of beds, why does the fact my dds are 22 & 24 matter. Breakfast isn't included anyway

Those who say 13 shouldn’t share with parents fair enough of you want to book an extra room when we go on family holidays we all book in otherwise I would have to book 4 rooms one for us parents one for 21 year old one for 18 year old and one for 13 year old . A room is just a base

I don't mind having two rooms I just don't want to pay for two rooms!

Thanks @Ted27 we've never managed that. Not all have interconnecting I dunt think and when we have found somewhere that does.and rung them they have said you can put it as a preference but there are only 1 or 2 that connect and it is first come first served.

We had to book a family room in Paris once in an emergency. Me, DH, DDs 18 & 20, DS 13.

It was ok until the snoring started lol!

Do whatever suits your family!!

Another tip is to check out whether they have suites, I've booked holiday inns which essentially have a separate living room they put beds up in for quite a lot less than two hotel rooms, it's the perfect solution up to about 16

Surely you must be able to understand it’s predominantly about cost rather than having an overwhelming urge to all share a bedroom?

My dad took my sister and me on holiday abroad when I was 18 and we shared a room with 3 single beds in. It literally wouldn’t have occurred to me to ask if I could have my own room- it’s a huge additional expense!

Why not go self catering so you get more space without having to worry about no of rooms required. You don't need to cook, we regularly eat out or get carryouts when we holiday. We have 3DC though so hotels have been problematic for years for us.

Im surprised you cant. Ive booked twin room or triple room with my teens several times and shared.

Nothing wrong with that per se.

There are always cheaper options available. Cheaper hotel, bnb, glamping etc.

At 18 you and your sister could have earned your own money for your own holiday.

It wouldn’t even cross my mind to share a room with a parent at 18. Not really a holiday, lovely though my parents are.

We've always shared at PIs with now 16 yo (so will need an extra room) DS and 14yo DD. Everyone changes in the bathroom. We couldn't afford 2 rooms, so it was share or not go away as often, and everyone would rather go away more! Absolutely nothing wrong with sharing if everyone's OK with it.

Ring the hotel direct. I'm sure they'll be accommodating given they won't be parting with 15-20% fee or whatever it is for going through the online booking company. There's an hotel I use a couple of times a year and he gives 20% off for not using booking.com

So if your parents had booked and paid for a lovely holiday, what would you have done, exactly? Refuse to board the plane?

For millions of families, the options are "share a room" or "no holiday". It's hardly a big deal. I was sharing a room with my dad as a teenager as it halved the cost of our holidays.

It would never have occurred to me to be such a brat that I demanded my own room

Premier , travelodge , holiday inn etc all class kids as up to 17.My 18 and 21 year old were recently '17' for the purposes of the hotel and 15 for the purposes of the train when we had to travel to a family funeral.

Could it be that the family size rooms are full on your dates?
I can't believe the dishonesty of lying about children's ages.
I've booked a family room for 4 adults when DC were late teens for one night before flight near airport.

We've noticed this too op. My 13yo costing me a fortune, size 9 feet so have to buy expensive mens shoes and mostly mens clothes now and expensive hotel rooms. I also really wish more hotels would provide 2 twin beds rather than a sofa bed for the kids to share.

What sensible parent would book and pay for a holiday without discussing it with their teens?

I refused to go on the canal du midi with my parents when I was 15. They originally discussed it with me and I said I would only go if I could take a friend. So they said fine but they booked a boat with no room for friend so I said I wouldn’t go. My sister a took a friend instead. And she and her friend had to do all the locks from Toulouse and Béziers. I dodged a bullet.

It’s probably nothing to do with his age but down to availability, it’s possible that the family rooms/apartment you had at that property beforehand are not available for your new dates and all that is available is 2 separate rooms and that would be case if your son was 13, 12, or 43.

On Booking.com & hotels.com you can filter for a family room. This should give a selection of bed types, some may be a sofa bed.

Is it just that children under 13 get free/cheap food? I've often booked 3 adults in one room.

My parents would never have let me behave like that 😬

It was their money and their annual leave, and their choice where we went on holiday. I didn't get a say and I certainly didn't get to refuse on the basis that there was no room to bring a friend, lol.

No-one HAS to. We had a big US road trip last summer. A three weeker trip of a lifetime. Went with our sons who were 16 and 18 at the time. It was the hotels that were the killer, cost wise . There is no way we would have been able to afford 2 rooms every night, it would have added thousands to our already v expensive trip.

So we all shared one room, quite happily. 2 King size beds in each room. The lads even shared a bed, no complaining. We all had a ball. But then we all get on, you have to if you’re going to be in the car so much on a trip like that. Plus, my kids aren’t brats and wouldn’t have put their foot down and said they wouldn’t come if they didn’t get their own room.

US hotels are set up better for family/group sharing but it doesn’t mean to say that in the U.K. hotels don’t exist with a similar set up. If it wasn’t “allowed” You’d be discriminating against teenagers with SEND for a start. I usually phone hotels direct, and discuss arrangements if you need to. The age cut off is often because children sharing their parents room usually get a free breakfast, if you are paying for a room that includes 2 breakfasts as part of the booking.