to ask for my own hotel room on business trip?

[Notmollybutdolly]

Hi. Work for a huge corporate company with a conference taking place in a few weeks.
travel will be the day before, by train, and staying over for training the following day travelling back that night.
work expects us to share a room with someone, and 90% sure it’ll be someone I’ve never met before. Even if it was a colleague, I still would refuse.
AIBU to have emailed them to request them to book me a separate room?
I didn’t give an excuse, only because I feel like I don’t need an excuse for my own room?

I worked for somewhere a long time, and woman had to share rooms in hotels, could be someone you’ve never met before as large well known uk wide company. Men never shared, ever. Ever.

I was expected to do this in my Job about 10 years ago. I'm still annoyed at myself for being so wet not to say anything. Thankfully I didn't have to go in the end but if someone asked me now it would be a hell no.
You could wind them up a bit and say you identify as a man see how they like to try and manage that!

"I have a night-time medical concern which isn't work-related, so I'm not prepared to discuss it. I won't be able to share a room because of this." On repeat, as required.

Absolutely not.
I wouldn't go. Tightwads.

Where I work does this and they will put female colleagues sharing together and male colleagues sharing together. I don’t agree with this at all. Just because you are female doesn’t mean it’s ok to share a room with another female. In my opinion if it’s not ok to share with a male it’s not ok to share with another female either. It’s just so bad expecting people to share like that. Everyone should be entitled to their own personal space at work and have their own room.

YANBU at all!

Does the company also treat male employees like school kids in a youth hostel?

@Notmollybutdolly Make sure you check with the hotel that you've got your own room before you travel.
Remind your manager in writing that you will not be travelling if you have to share a room - mention HR and safeguarding.

Whaaaaat. No.

I work for a union. It's a disaster waiting to happen in terms of workplace/colleague complaints, and yes as it's a work trip, rooms booked by work etc, the company won't be able to claim it happened outside of work time. It's on their watch, so to speak.

Madness.

My old employer forced this shit every year for our staff residential. Genuinely one of the reasons I left. I found it so, so uncomfortable.

Or just "No!".

Agree, the days of making excuses for things I don't want to do are long behind me.

Ditto xmas parties. Nay, nay and thrice nay.

Absolutely not. I’ve travelled for work for 25 years and I’ve never been asked to do this. And I would never do this, even if they asked! Awful, no way.

Nah, out of order and I would blanket refuse.

At least you were offered a room. I was once sent last moment to the South of France on a job and they knew I had nowhere to stay because an event was on and no hotel rooms left.

When my husband was in the building trade he used to share a hotel room (often Mon-Fri) - albeit with one of the other builders from the same company. Would be unheard of in my organisation. I would be saying no.

Everyone should have their own rooms but if others are expected to share why should you be any different?

Absolutely not. I'd not be going on the trip. I turned down a 50th birthday weekend invite recently that involved sharing rooms, the only person I share with is dp. I don't even share with my children when we go away we have our own rooms (interconnecting).

Ther are so many reasons why it's inappropriate to expect this of employees.

Well it's up to the others to stand up for themselves isn't it?

Are they paying you to be working 24hrs a day whilst staying with a stranger???

Even if they actually were, its NO. You are an adult doing a professional role, not a 10yr old on a school camp. Ridiculous! In any company I've worked for, in 3 different countries, I've never been asked to share rooms!

Don't make up reasons or excuses, the only response is "I don't share hotel rooms" possibly adding "with anyone except my partner" but even that last bit isn't necessary.

How different these responses are to the same problem.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_staffroom/5458265-staff-room-sharing-on-residential?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Does women mean women though or Roger from accounts who now goes by Bethany?

Just a thought, if they make you share with a colleague then technically you are in work mode. Will they pay you a generous overtime rate for the extra 40 hours? (Assuming 2 days 8 hours work...)

No way would I be sharing a room. Totally unreasonable on employers part to even suggest this.

Even the nhs don’t expect you to share a room if they send you off on a training course.

The only occasion when this might be acceptable is if the hotel is the kind that have 2 bedroom suites. I had a work hotel in Budapest like this once. It was like an apartment and had a kitchen and living room and 2 en suite bedrooms. There was only me in there!