Originally Posted by
mattkorey
In case no one ever reads the papers, the U.S. is a litigious society. They sue at the drop of a hat. You'd think employers would want to avoid even the bogus suits when they are completely avoidable. This is such a situation.
Litigation aside, if the company is requesting I travel, they are responsible to an extent to keep me safe. I don't expect them to send bodyguards with me, and if I choose to do something risky like rollerblading drunk through Midtown Manhattan traffic, that's on me. But putting me in such close quarters with someone I do not know very well puts my safety at risk. Drunk roommate brings home Mr. Stranger Danger from the bar and we both wake up to find we've been robbed. Drunk roommate forgets to lock the door and we wake up to find Mr. Stranger Danger in our room uninvited. Careless Smoker roommate falls asleep with cigarette and burns down the room with me in it. Kooky roommate goes off her meds and decides to kidnap me. Sure, they're ALL long shots but I don't think any company should take such a huge risk just to save a couple hundred dollars. By pairing up people, the company is to some degree vouching for the other party's character and while picking your roommie might help, there's still some assumption that the other person is OK just because they work with you.
I think if your company can't afford for everyone to have a room of their own, they should move the conference/meeting/whatever to a less expensive city, reduce the invitee list, cut it a day short, whatever it takes to come in within budget.