When the Marriott reservations site asks for the number of guests per room, is it asking for the number of children?

The reason I'm asking is because some hotels charge substantially more for four, even though they have rooms with two doubles available. I'm just curious if Marriott has a "kids stay free" policy like some other hotel chains.

I certainly think it would be helpful if they would spell it out!

Thanks.

Get the hotel email address from marriott customer care and ask the hotel directly via email. It varies...

Regards

Yes, it can vary greatly from property to property so direct contact is best. Customs vary from country to country too. Some need to enforce safety laws that limit the number of occupants. Generally in the US it is adults only that count.

It would be helpful if they spell it out, but they don't.

They also use the term "twin beds" for both double and single beds in some places. I usually check the hotel photos, check tripadvisor comments or call the plat line for more info. The plat line has called the hotels directly to verify whether 4 would be allowed in a room with 2 doubles.

Marriott doesn't have the kids stay free in existing bedding or whatever rule, and it depends a lot on where you want to go, which you don't mention. As RogerD posted you are usually ok within the US, Canada and Caribbean. I say usually as there are some exceptions, for example the JW Marriott Marquis Miami has 2 doubles and states max occupancy at 3 people.

I have discovered that in the UK, if the hotel has 2 doubles they will often allow 2 kids when I ask. The Marriott booking system will say 2 guests max however, so you won't be allowed to put 4 in the reservation page. In France hotels with 2 doubles would not let me book 2 kids and 2 adults. Thailand would let me, but only if both kids were under 14. China depended upon the hotel. Etc. etc.

And some people have booked 2 guests and shown up with 4 only to have a very nasty surprise at check in. So, do your homework first. However one of the main reasons that Marriott remains our primary choice is because many international hotels do have two doubles in a room.

Well, I called and got my answer, after a fashion.

The "Marriott" in question is Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino. Children are free, but can only stay in the Ocean suites. The "Marina" rooms, which are much cheaper, are for adults only.

We are visiting Aruba as part of a cruise. If the room was reasonable enough I was going to rent a room so we could visit the private island and use the hotel facilities. Since I still don't have my six stays on the Megabonus, I figure I get a $75 rebate on each stay.

The cost for the Marina room is $172 all in. After calculating the value of the Megabonus and points I figure the room would only cost us about $90, but sadly we aren't eligible because of the kids. The cost for the Ocean Suites that will allow the kids is $296. I figure the first is doable. The second is a bit too high, so no Aruba Marriott for us.

I understand they sometimes sell day passes to the private island for $75 for adults and $45 for children, and that it includes lunch and sports equipment. Still probably too high. Sigh....

A better move is to always call the property (not the toll-free line) and speak with the GM, FD manager or some such person during business hours.

In some countries, local fire codes and the like limit the # of people. In some upscale properties, they really don't want crowded rooms (noise) and fills property.

But, sometimes if you explain what you want and why, you can reach a deal. Unlike airlines, hotel property senior people can be much more flexible with all kinds of things and it's always worth a call.

We visited Aruba twice by cruise ship. The first time we went to the Marriott property to have a look around. We were thinking of perhaps using points there for a vacation at some point. We just hung out at the pool and on the beach there, renting paddleboards etc. In the end we were not impressed enough with the property to use the points required for a stay, but it was a good place to plunk down for the day. Note however once someone came around asking those in the loungers for room numbers.

I'm actually talking about the Renaissance, and while we would like to hang out by the pool some, what we are really interested in is going to the private island. I understand a boat picks you up in the hotel lobby and zips you out there, which is pretty cool. But we have our limits on how much cool we're willing to pay for.

I usually check booking.com under children policy. They are pretty accurate IMO - we always travel with kids so children policy plays an important part on where we are going to stay.

Marriott is a bit more lax than Hilton regarding children policy - Hilton allows 1 regardless of age (at least in Europe).

Nacho, I had never tried your booking.com trick so I plugged in the Marriott in Budapest. The Marriott website shows 2 doubles but they only accept 2 as the max guests. So does booking.com. However, at my request the plat line called them and they said they would allow 2 adults and 2 under 18 (my kids aren't little). So if you see a hotel you like that won't accept 4, see if the plat line can help. It doesn't always work though.

I did with Gold line for CY Basel - you know what - they said, 'max occupancy is 2 and what do you want me to do? ' So I said can't you add 1 child in, she add an adult and it was a CHF 90 extra per night. Maybe it's me, I never have any good outcome calling .

We wrote to the hotel, no reply. Then found the GM's email and wrote to her, and she gave us an upgrade in terms of 2 connecting rooms instead of a bigger room - and of course that CHF90 charge was also removed. That's lovely and it makes us feel welcome, and we stayed there whenever we are in Basel.

Booking.com is not a 'trick' - it's a guideline to see how they 'tolerate' kids

I have never seen that happen. Not a single time ever. I always reserve for one person, whether it's just me or me and 5 of my buddies, and I've never gotten even a sideways glance.....

you would in several european/asian props due to fire code R&Rs.........

It happens only if they found out I normally checked at booking.com if kids can stay free, and if they can I'll book the hotel.

However some FDs in Europe practically know nothing, and in order to avoid unnecessary drama, either Mr. Nacho or I will do the check-in and then we let the rest slip through.

Exactly. I've stayed in Marriotts and other hotels all over europe and asia. Never a single problem.....