grrr at hotel's '5 person' policy

[WilfSell]

Insisting we must book two suite-rooms instead of one, because of our extra person in the shape of a 1 year old who will doubtless sleep in the main bed between us in any case and will eat nothing.

Yeah right. Like I'm gonna shell out another 100 quid for that.

Should I just lie and sneak him in?

Or anyone got any other suggestions (in France, near tunnel...)

Apparently (they have just emailed me) it is for our own safety in case of fire.

Perhaps someone can explain this logic to me, as I completely fail to see how this makes us safer to have a baby and adult in another room. He'd have to be carried out either way in the event of a fire?

Have you actually contacted the hotel directly and asked (referring to your son as "and a baby")? I find that online booking generally claims that hotels don't allow combinations of people who (when you contact the hotel directly and talk to/email a real person) they do.

I would lie and sneak him in.

I wouldn't lie - this is probably stipulated in their insurance documents and if anything happens you will be up shit creak!

Ah, I see you have contacted them. I'd probably look for another hotel, maybe something non-chainy and family-run.

It is just another way to get more dosh out of you, they want to sell 2 rooms instead of 1!

Sneak him in, you won't be the first or the last to do this - I have worked in this industry for many years!

Ooooh, is it common practice then amongst 5-er plus families?

Yes! And business man who claim to be sole occupancy and smuggle a 'friend' in late at night....

I'm with MadameCastafiore, I'm afraid - it will be to do with fire regs which often refer to 'people' as opposed to 'adults' and 'children'.
I'd look for somewhere else I think.

But if these are fire regulations, surely they will all have a maximum occupancy of 4 or am I missing something?

I still don't get what the relevant fire safety bit is about: occupancy? escape routes? or wot?

I guess there are places that have greater occupance allowances, maybe with bigger family rooms or something.
Sorry - I'm a really 'what if' person.

Being a family of five is a right pain, which is why we tend to self-cater. Or sneak into travel-lodge family rooms. I take acouple of DC to check in, then DH casually strolls in with the third child 'to join my wife".

Try Campanile or similar which are 'motel' style rooms which open directly onto the car park.

I have realised since DS3 we will never be able to stay in hotels again. But this was just for a stopover en route to south France. Must investigate more options with cheating options bigger rooms...

There must be many of us in this position: let's start a campaign.

It is a right pain in the a**e! we smuggled dd3 in until she was about 2 but since then have expended a lot of time and energy searching out hotels with family rooms or junior suites which will take 5. Finding a holiday this summer has been a pain and we have given in and booked 2 rooms but it is for 10 days so worth doing, not for an overnight.

[helpfully] You could have another three children so that you can get your money's worth from the two four-person rooms? Not by this summer, admittedly...

I think they have strict regulations in France about this. We found it impossible to book us all into one room. However, when we got to the hotel they had lost the booking and asked if we wanted one room or two, so in practice staff may be more relaxed in person... This was a family run hotel though, rather than a chain. Last time we stayed there we just booked one room and brought an air bed too...

and [faints] at PAL's solution. Bit rash, surely?