Originally Posted by
Kevin AA
If a hotel room for a single person were half the size of a hotel room for two people, then charging by the person would make sense.
I don't believe that a single person could be comfortable in a half-size room. I know that I couldn't. But I do believe that for a solo traveler, particularly one getting a reduced rate (AAA, Senior, Club or something like that, 10% off or so), the assigned room is more often than not a less desirable one. It could be next to the elevator (or too far from the elevator if you want one close) or the ice maker or vending machine. It might be overlooking the dumpster. It might be an end-of-the-hall room that might have been planned as a larger room but has been carved out to make two rooms. Sometimes if I find myself with a room that's undesirable I'm successful in getting one more to my liking, but just as often it's "we're sold out so I can't change you to another room."
Rooms assignments are, I'm quite certain, made by computer and the number of guests in the room, the rate they're paying, membership in the hotel's frequent guest plan, and its "desirability" are known factors. Entry tier, solo, AAA rate guests like me usually are initially assigned known less popular rooms.