'Sneaking' two extra children into hotel room booked for two adults and two children

[AlbertCamel]

AIBU in thinking this may have implications regarding insurance etc?

Friend is off on holiday later today to a large hotel abroad with her DH and four DC aged between 4 and 16. Not a package, no meals included and flights were booked separately.

The room has a small bedroom, bathroom and living area with a sofa bed. It sleeps 4. They've booked it for two adults and two children. That's the maximum number of people allowed.

She wants to check in with DH, their two youngest boys and all their luggage, and have the two oldest boys wait outside until they're 'sneaked' in a little while later.

I think that whilst this is logistically possible, it will have implications but not sure what these implications might be. Friend thinks there's no problem with this and nobody will bat an eyelid.

AIBU in saying it's not a good idea?

I'm going to keep from too many details slightly because it's outing.

But my parents tried to get 1 extra in a room in a country during a journey home. It didn't happen - got caught basically. A travelodge type hotel.

Meant 1 parent and me as eldest spent night at the outward transport travel place.

Which it turns out closes overnight.

The very kind security guard allowed us and another family (who were stuck for different reasons) stay until 3am.

We spent the next 3 hours in a stone cave like gap in a wall watching the most spectacular thunderstorm whilst trying not to get wet 😂

It's still one of my favourite memories.

However not the most sensible thing to do if you plan on spending a whole week or more there! Because you will get caught and they don't make allowances - we were told due to insurance because my indents offered to pay for an extra person!

I don’t blame her! I’ve paid for two rooms and then used one as we had three small kids and I won’t allow them to be in the room alone while my husband and I watched tv/chatted.

As for the hotel searching in a fire - what happens if one occupant has gone out to the shop or to a nightclub? Surely you don’t track all movements of all guests?

Some hotels don’t allow 2 young babies (twins) in with parents. It’s a nightmare to book with baby twins. You have to book 2 rooms at so many hotels but then your breastfed babies end up in one room anyway as what other guest wants to hear a screaming baby at 2am as it is brought down the corridor from Dads room? So you book 2 and don’t use the second and lie about using it or book one and lie about the second baby.

There should be more rooms with bunks so they sleep 6.

we use youth hostels now for this reason.

I presumed it was for one night, not a week! Won’t be very comfortable, all of them sleeping in one room, on sofas etc. especially if it’s hot.

I love that episode
'are you having fun?'
👍'groovy'

Meh, we've done it for 1 night with our DC, who was 8 at the time. He fit in fine in the superking size bed between DH and me. Not sure I'd have the balls to do it for 1 or 2 weeks though; that's essentially stealing.

The parents will be in the bedroom. Two oldest top to tail on the sofa bed in living room with the two youngest on some type of inflatable bed also in the living room.

Do you think reception will remember the size and members of each family?

Not necessarily each family but there might be something noticeable about Op's friend or her husband?

I don't know any more than you.

Not your circus, not your monkeys. It may not be what you would do, but your friend has decided it’s worth the risk and your job is to do nothing more than say, ‘Hope you have a great time’.

I’m astounded there’s a 16 year old on the planet who is prepared to spend a week in a hotel room (which will be small, they always are) with his parents and 3 siblings! I hope the air con is good, or it’ll be roasting.

People who do this are tramps.

I'm not really sure why it's any of your business. You gave your advice, it wasn't wanted, so drop it. It really doesn't need any more of your headspace.
If it's a large hotel, most likely nobody will even notice. They'll probably have a miserable holiday crammed in together and won't repeat it.

Posting to see if they get away with it.

I'd probably do this, if we had more children and I had the balls.

There's no chance the staff would be able to remember specifics of each family staying there, and even if the cleaners somehow noticed an extra suitcase (which is easily excused away), they really don't get paid enough to give a toss.

Did your friend actually ask your opinion on the matter? Because you seem rather keen that they get found out. No wonder she's pissed off.

Why are you so bothered about it has nothing to do with you?

If there was a fire alarm on the night and they had to evacuate, would she pretend the two extra people with her were nothing to do with her?

Would posters be bothered if a friend had told them they had stolen £500 worth of goods or defrauded a company of that amount? Is it only defrauding hotels that is okay?

We did this a couple of times in a Travel lodge when ours were small. They had no rooms for three children available so we put the tiny one on a blow up ready bed on the floor of a family room just for one night.

I wouldn’t do it for a whole family holiday abroad though.

If there is an issue, annoyingly she probably won’t tell @AlbertCamel . Personally I think it’s quite scummy and is actually theft. Also my idea of hell that many people squished into a small space. But hey ho.

You never really know the capacity / layout of a hotel til you arrive. So it might be very obvious. Not sure how she will get enough linens etc for the grim sweaty lilo beds.

Hotels have CCTV these days, unlike in the past when once you were past reception you were home free, if they get suspicious it will be easy to spot two extra children going in and out of the room. I have asked for an extra bed in a room for two (that had no option for another bed) which the hotel did for me. Asking for two extra beds might be a bit much!

I don't understand the 'asking your opinion' part. When you have a conversion with a friend, after you've made a statement do you always ask, 'And what's your opinion on what I've just said?' No, it's a conversation between friends and people share opinions during conversations. I did not not share my opinion with any malice, just concern. It wasn't the fact that I offered my opinion, it was the slant of the opinion that she didn't like.

Who cares really? Why are you so invested OP?

Im not clear how you are sure it will be fine?
Its disgraceful carry on.
People on the blag make me sick and people who rob services or anything make me sick.
People who think, ah it doesnt impact me, are wildly incorrect.
It does, every single time people perpetrate fraud, id costs the rest of us.
Wake up.

You were a bit of a jobsworth pulling her up on it. Talking shite about insurance (true but seriously!) as you’ve nothing better to catch her out on.

I doubt though anyone sits reviewing the cctv counting guest numbers against booked occupancy though???

Not just outside Europe, we were often offered rooms in France where we put extra kids in than beds. When our children were young it was very easy to put 2 in a single bed or three to four in a double. Back when I was young my husband travelled a lot for work he had to book as a single and I'd sneak in, hotels don't have single rooms so he mostly had a double.