Traveling single - hotel rooms
 

As a single female traveler, how do you handle being assigned to a hotel room that is smaller and less well-situated than those for couples?

I'm not sure I've ever had this problem. Where and at what kinds of hotels do you run into this? Also, what do you consider well-situated? Some people don't want to be near the elevator; others consider the far end of the hall "inconvenient". If you have a preference, tell the desk clerk when you are checking-in (or put a note on your reservation).

Especially outside the US, "single" rooms may be smaller than "doubles", but it's never been an problem for me. And, definitely nothing to do with being female.

If it is a problem, I suppose you could ask for another room. Or book a double & say your husband/bf/partner is joining you later.

I have been traveling as a single in a group with many couples in both Southeast Asia, Portugal, Spain and Morocco. I was staying in mostly smaller boutique hotels and even though I paid the single supplement, found that I was assigned rooms that were smaller and tucked away with very little view. When I was travelling with a roommate, I noticed again that we were given rooms that were less well appointed than the couples in our group even though we paid the same. Maybe it has nothing to do with being female and more to do with traveling as a single or two singles sharing a room.

What did your travel guide say about this issue? It could be pure coincedence.

What does "less well appointed" mean?

If you honestly believe you are being "discriminated" due to your "single" status.... and you are not getting similar accomodations even though you paid the single supplement, then definitely complain.

If it is happening at multiple hotels, it may have more to do with what your group travel company communicated to the hotels than what the hotels are doing on their own.

I travel solo a lot. I don't believe I've ever been assigned something less than I feel I would have been assigned as a couple. There are hotels, particularly in Europe, where there are single rooms. If someone books a single, they can expect to end up in a broom closet equivalent in such a property. But that's not your situation.

I'm with William in thinking that the issue might come down to the instructions your tour company is giving the hotel. If I was on a multi day tour, and the first night I was assigned something less than the rest of the party was receiving, I would discuss it with my tour leader.

I also think the issue is with the tour company. I was on a 3-week very low-end Mediterranean group tour, and when my roommate left the tour early there was a very definite decline in the room I was assigned. I suspected it was an issue with the guide, as she always handed my key last, and I noticed I would be following the bus driver and invariably got a room near him and far from the rest of the group. Fortunately, because of originally having a roommate I was not paying the single supplement. It's made me hesitant to select "single" on hotel sites, but I haven't had any issues with the rooms I've gotten with the major chains, or even small local hotels for that matter.

Since when is the "single supplement" supposed to entitle you to the same accommodation assigned to a couple?

A single room is not usually (if ever) charged at half the rate of a double. It might cost 75-90% the cost of a double. The single supplement is charged to make up the difference between the cost of 1/2 the double rate and the full rate for a single.

Although most U.S. hotel chains charge the same for a room, regardless of whether one or two people occupy it, overseas that is generally not the case. And in big U.S. cities such as NYC and SFO, the smaller, independent properties operate the same way.

Just to clarify, I wasn't traveling through a tour company. I was traveling with a friends and we booked the hotels ourselves. We were not staying in major chains but smaller hotels, posadas and riads. I did ask to be changed but met with a lot of resistence. Sometimes, my room was changed and other times it wasn't. I am glad to hear that many of you havee not had a problem with this but there are a number of articles on line about others experiencing what I have described. As for the supplement not being the same as the cost of a double, in most cases I was paying the double price less the cost of one breakfast, so I would very definitely expect a room that was as spacious and in a desirable location as those assigned to a couple.

I haven't been to the areas you mentioned (SE Asia, Portugal, Spain, Morocco) but always book a single room when travelling on business. (Unless I can talk RadioMan into coming along.;))

In the US and US-style hotels elsewhere (big, modern generic properties) I usually get the same room they'd give a couple. But in smaller boutique-style European hotels, they seem to have mainly double rooms with some smaller "single" rooms as an afterthought.

I had a direct comparison in York (UK), where there was a significant difference in price between "single" and "double", but no single available for the first few nights of my two week stay. So I had a few nights in the double room and then moved to the single. The double had a nice view, comfortable layout, good bathrooom, etc, while the single was a dark little room with a small window looking across garbage bins into a brick wall, a tiny bathroom, and furniture apparently squeezed in.

I guess tourist destinations expect mostly couples/families and lay out hotels accordingly, with singles as an afterthought. Hotels aimed at business travellers may be better at accomodating single travellers but are generally less interesting.

Can't say I've ever had the experience of a 'lesser' room because I was a female travelling solo. I once was given a room with the floor's airconditioning just outside - I rang the front desk and asked to be moved - no problem and a nice fruit basket as an apology!