Changing US Hotel Booking

flossymcfly

Hi all,

Might be a strange one but I will ask anyway.

My husband and son are going to Boston for the World Cup. They have a booking for a room in a Marriott Hotel. My nephew would love to go too, but there is no space on the flight, so I have offered to fly out with him. The issue is that there are no more rooms in the hotel, however, the room has two king beds, so can easily accommodate us all.

We spoke to the travel agent to explain and see if we could be added to the room. They said no, because the flights and hotel were booked as a package then it could not be changed (room was non-refundable rate). I don't know if this is the case or if they are just trying to make more money from us.

Has anyone had any experience of adding people to a room? I know we could probably sneak in, however, I don't want to do this and then have an issue halfway through the holiday.

If it's genuinely not possible then we will get another hotel, but no point throwing money away if we can save it!

Thanks

always_learning22

The travel agent is kind of right, but only from their side. Because it’s a package + non-refundable rate, they usually can’t change the booking in their system (names/occupancy). That doesn’t necessarily mean the hotel won’t allow it.

What matters more is the hotel’s own rules. If it’s a Marriott and the room has two king beds, there’s a good chance it’s already rated for 4 Adults , so adding two more people may be fine.

born_again

Best bet contact hotel & just ask if they will allow the change.

flossymcfly

Amazing thanks so much :)

flossymcfly

Just a wee update, we contacted the hotel and they added us to the room booking!! Only had to pay for flights 🤩

MyRealNameToo

On a room only basis hotels dont generally really dont care how many people are in the room and there is little way for them to check anyway given they could give just one of you a keycard but that one card can operate the lift and door for as many people as you can physically fit.

If your booking involves food or other elements then matters are slightly different, you could still sleep many more people in the room but you would still only be entitled to breakfast for the agreed number on the booking.

Things get more complex with places like the Burj al Arab because you can only get onto the island with a booking but as long as people are travelling with someone who has a room they tend to ignore their guests… it would be different if you only had a reservation for food or bar - certainly when we stayed online forums recommended booking breakfast as the cheapest option that gets you onto the island but that did mean you saw lots of people at breakfast in their evening dress but not as the shameful morning after but the morning before with a long wait until the evening. Lots of trip advisor posts at the time then complained that they'd spent the whole day there only to find that the main bars require a reservation and minimum spend and the one bar that doesnt is crappy and rammed full

oldernonethewiser

"Things get more complex with places like the Burj al Arab" - bit of a travel issue for the world cup this year if booked there.😉

TELLIT01

I disagree that hotels don't care how many people are in a room booked on accommodation only basis. They will have to abide by fire regulations which may well stipulate maximum occupancy.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81974834#Comment_81974834

Which surely is the number of beds in the hotel. A room for 4 will accommodate any number up to. 4

TELLIT01

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81974902#Comment_81974902

I was responding to a comment which stated that hotels don't care how many people are in a room. The comment didn't say 4 in a room with capacity for 4.

twopenny

If people aren't registered with an hotel then there are problems with fire safety and possibly immigration..

You have to sign in for fire regulations and copy of passport. You should also register where you're staying if you cross borders.

The hotel can throw you out if not registered. It's not just a case of it the beds are big enough.