pinniped

Perhaps a bit OT, but I've had good luck with Booking.com in Italy to get some nice apartments in a few places.

I wouldn't do Airbnb on any stay where I wasn't prepared to find an alternative at the last minute for whatever reason. (Owner flaking, it being an outright scam, apartment being disgusting or otherwise not as advertised, etc.) Booking.com's property listers tend to be more professional management companies - at least at the places we've booked.

Another option for Italy with Marriott points is to accept a Courtyard or similar outside of a city center. Then finding a new-build property with 2 doubles is probably more do-able. Trade-off is a lot more daily time on a bus/Uber/train/etc. to get to the places you really want to see.

rasheed

I've done some big European journeys with the family. I strongly do not recommend showing up with more people than the room occupancy. The challenge is obvious. When you email ahead to try and get a room type that accommodates 4, the property sees $$$ as they see this request all of the time. I rarely get helped for no extra-charge into a room type I need even as a Plat.

Marriott-ing Europe

I've done a number of things:
-Booked two rooms and cancelled one if I get upgraded ahead
-Paid for a junior suite that allows a room cheaper than two standard rooms
-Paid for a second room (the worst option especially since you may not even use it with younger kids)
-Paid a daily fees on top of a points reservation (Sydney) to get a room type they refused to offer on points.

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but it has not been long since Marriott has added the people count option when booking online and thankfully max allowed is listed in all room details screens.

I think Marriott is better than Hilton in this regard, but this seems like a ripe market to consider places on booking.com and airbnb/homeaway especially for stays of more than 2 or 3 nights.

As mentioned, properties not only have room type issues, but want to charge for extra people (even if they are kids). I believe only the spouse (or one additional person is free) and that is only because the elite programs have this indicated I believe. This seems silly in the US, but is prevalent across the world. Oh, well I guess this is also a problem in Vegas casino resort properties, but not for occupancy issues, for extra charges.

Thankfully, if I had a room type for the right size, I have not had an issue accessing any lounge or free breakfast amenities for my entire party (which is not so straightforward with SPG either).

Rasheed

BOSOGG

You preference is to use your SPG points, or convert them to Marriott points.
Suggestion:
Review the SPG and Marriott sites online, and compile a list of possible properties in Germany and Italy.
Once you have a limited list, create a generic email message and send it out to each of the potential properties.
You can find email address on hotel site, or try google.
State that you are a family of four with two children (provide ages), you want to use points, and give exact dates of arrival and departure.
Provide the dates, even if you are not sure, otherwise you will not get a useful response.
Ask if they have family rooms, or special family rates.

One example: FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON MUNICH
This property has studios that might be perfect for your family.
http://www.fourpointsmunichcentral.com/en/rooms/studio

This worked well for me this past summer. I first tried calling, but email solves any language barriers as well as providing written record.

nacho

If you are open to other brands:

Hilton in Germany will give you a 50% discount on a second room for your kids - which is a great thing.

Novotel always allow 2 adults and 2 children in their rooms.

If you really have to stay at Marriott - these are the ones we stayed at:

Switzerland:
CY Basel - Write to the GM - we got 2 connecting rooms as upgrade (we went there off peak so the GM doesn't mind that)

Germany - room with 2 doubles:
CY Bremen (right by the central station)
Marriott Hamburg
Renaissance Dusseldorf (I was there before their remodelling so no idea if it's still the case but this hotel was very generous in upgrade for elites)
Leipzig Marriott

UK
Leicester Marriott

yjc281

I came across this thread via Google search. The information is quite valuable as I'm also planning for a family trip to Italy. I've been to Italy many times but this would be the first time with kids.
I've been looking for a room that would accommodate two adults and one 8 years old kid but most of them are family suites that cost like $2000 a night with no point options.
Finally I found some hotels at not the most convenient locations that would allow a third person for a fee. (About $105 USD a night)
I plan to visit Italy and Greece. It seems to be Greece is more accomodating in this aspect.
I guess every country has different local customs. Japan has a similar situation but there are more Japanese hotels that would allow family of 4 to stay in a room with two double beds. (We've done it but not the most comfortable to be honest.) Traditional Japanese hotels though are usually priced by person. So it would be like one person 120USD, two people 240...,etc.
So compare to traditional Japanese hotels it seems though the Italian hotels are not much worse...at least we don't need to pay double or triple when we have more people...
I would love to know if anyone has experiences with the Marriott Platinum breakfast benefits in Italy? I wonder if I also need to pay full breakfast prices for an 8 years old kid every day?
If I book two rooms, would they then extend the Platinum benefit to up to 4 people? From my experience in Japan, both Marriott and Hilton would offer 2 free breakfasts up to two rooms (4 total), However I'm not sure about Italy...

vanabb

I've been in Germany for the last few years, with a family of three (2 adults and now a 13yr old). We've traveled all over Europe as SPG plat, and now recently with Marriott. I've found that so long as I have status, booking the room for 2 adults only is enough. With SPG on arrival normally we'd be upgraded and there would be no fee for an extra bed, but this depends a lot on the properly. I'd say 9/10 times no fee with SPG. We traveled in Japan and China recently, still with SPG, and found the same.

As a plat SPG upgrades were the norm, but with Marriott they are the exception.

With Marriott now things are very different. I still book for only 2 adults, but I always inform them ahead a day or two that we will be three, and ask if we could be 'upgraded to a suitable room'. Sometimes this works, but almost always there charge a fee for the extra bed (30-50 Euro) per night. No extra fee at the JW in London for example.

No fee with kid and extra bed examples (most upgraded). All allowed breakfast for all 3 of us.

Element Amsterdam
R. Dusseldorf (upgrade to 2 double bed room)
LM Stuttgart
Westin Munich
Arabella Sheraton Munich
Westin & each Sheraton in Frankfurt
Element Frankfurt (gave us an extra room no charge!)
Sheraton Heathrow
Bolzano 4P (charged for kid's breakfast)
Venice 4P
JW Marriott London
LM Nice
Design Hotel Rotterdam
4P Dornbirn
4P Zurich Sihlcity

In Asia:
Westin Tokyo
Westin Osaka
Sheraton Grande Miyazaki (awesome stay btw)
Westin Awaji
Westin Nanjing
Sheraton Kingsley Nanjing
LM Sentosa Singapore (onsen room upgrade)
and others

Those that charged an extra bed fee, that I can remember:
R. Tuscany/Barga
Sienna 4P (50 Euro/night even with suite upgrade)
Prague Sheraton (declined the 50 Euro\night, used a camp mat for 5 nights)
Nordwijk Oranje hotel
Des Indes, the Hague (charged for kid's breakfast)


Alas for the SPG days...

yjc281

Thanks for sharing the very useful info. I e-mailed two hotels in Rome and can confirm one of them would not allow a 8 years old kid with two adults in standard rooms.
St. Regis Rome.
They would require us to stay in a larger room. ($1000+ a night and no point option)
I do appreciate them to be clear up front so we would not have trouble when we arrive.
The other one has not replied but I suspect the same.
I will update if I get more replies.

RedSun

In Europe, there are very few hotels that have an occupancy limit > 2 with point redemptions. You can certainly contact the hotel and try to arrange the room. But most hotels won't commit to type of rooms, or any possible upgrade (to junior suite etc). Since it is very hard to change flight, it makes it very difficult to plan ahead.

I feel it is some kind of gamble to book a trip to place like Paris on points. You book a room with a king or two twin beds, hoping for some upgrade either from hotel or at check-in. But if that fails, you are facing with $$$ costs to upgrade to other rooms, or have to find another hotel (pay a penalty too?).

I figure a lot of Europeans do not have children...

nacho

Not true, Europeans have kids. However they usually have 2 or less, and they expect to book 2 rooms or they book vacation homes. It's only the US is so generous about occupancy per room, forget it in other countries - China, Thailand, Japan, especially when the kids are over 6 years old.

We have 3 kids and that's why US is our favourite destination - we haven't been travelling inside Europe for a long time because cost for us is pretty similar if we go to the US vs inside Europe (I don't support LCC and normal airlines fare are simply too much), also rental cars are smaller etc.

Novotel's policy is 2 adults and 2 kids under 12.

A friend of mine booked a Holiday Inn Express by AMS for 2 nights, the couple travelled with a 5 years old and at check-in the staff insisted that they needed 2 rooms. They had no choice but to paid for an extra room.

RedSun

That is really bad. For our summer trip to Europe, we booked two rooms at each places we go. Then I got lucky when one of the places were overbooked. So I gave up one room and they upgraded us to a junior suite for about 135 Euro. It is much better than having to book two rooms.

nacho

Marriott is not exactly the most children friendly in Europe.

135 EUR is so much! Once I showed with everyone at Hamburg Marriott and they said it's max 4 people (CY Hamburg doesn't have that issue, they said there's no problem to have kids under 12 staying in parents room). We were doing a driving trip so we could have just gone home, we told them that and they "suddenly" said if we pay them 60 EUR they can "upgrade" us to a bigger room - which is marginally bigger than the one we stayed at without the kids (they hardly give any Plat upgrade even though Plat was kind of the top tier).

When we did go around in Europe, we stayed at Apart hotels in France, Germany and Spain. They tend to be bigger (bed+sofabed). Also if the kids are less than 3 years old, you can ask for baby beds for free. In Sweden most fast food joints have microwave to heat up baby food and Scandic hotels (chain in Scandinavia) allow all kids under 12 to stay free in their parent's room.

Holiday Inn has also kids stay free (I know it's Marriott forum).

Sorry it gets a bit OP but I think it's something that might be useful to other FTers.