Feb 06 2009
How to Survive Sharing a Hotel Room
One of the best parts of a convention can be sharing a hotel room with all of your friends. It can also be the worst possible decision you could make. I attend Dragon*con every year, which requires me to get a hotel room since I don’t live anywhere near Atlanta. I’ve gotten a room with my significant other, and I’ve split rooms with friends. Both options have their benefits and drawbacks. I’m here to share with you some ways to make sure that if you decide to share a hotel room, that it ends up being a positive experience for you.
Before You Even Suggest Sharing a Room to a Friend, Ask Yourself:
- Do I trust this person with my personal belongings?
- Do I trust them to actually pay me for their share?
- Do they clean themselves regularly, and keep their area clean?
- Do they snore, or otherwise have habits that might prevent sleep?
If the answer is “no” to one of the first three, or “yes” to the forth, then don’t even bother. (In fact, if you answered “no” to the first three, you may want to ask yourself why that person is your friend in the first place, eh?) The last thing you want is to be unable to sleep all weekend, and/or get stuck with a unexpected bill at the last minute. It happens. It isn’t fun.
You’re Determined to Share Your Room With Friends. Now What?
- Decide in advance how many people you’re comfortable sharing with. Do you require a bed, or are you cool with an air mattress? Will you offer floor space? How many is too many? How do you decide who gets a bed vs the floor?
- Figure out whose name the reservation will be in, and whose credit card will be used for the deposit. If that person isn’t the one arriving first, make sure you add a second name to the reservation so everyone can get checked in.
- Do the math and know exactly what everyone’s portion of the payment will be before arriving. Don’t forget to consider taxes, parking fees, internet fees, phone calls, in-room movies, and any other charges that could be incurred. Make sure everyone knows well in advance how much they will owe you.
- Collect all money up front. Don’t wait till the end of the convention. There’s too much risk in someone “accidentally” spending what they had set aside for their portion of the room.
- Discuss any room rules before you get there. Can you bring people back to the room to “hang out” (wink wink nudge nudge say-no-more)? Is drinking okay? Is there a designated time for “sleep only”?
I Don’t Have Friends Going, so I’m Going to Share With a Stranger.
This actually happens a lot more often than one might think. Hotel rooms are expensive, especially for a four day convention like Dragon*con. Sharing a room with a stranger is even more likely when hotels fill up rapidly, leaving last minute attendees with few options. There are actually entire communities dedicated to helping people find roommates for cons. I think it goes without saying that all the above advice applies, but I wanted to add these as an addendum:
- Do some online investigating first. Ask for a MySpace/LiveJournal/social networking profile. Not that these can’t be totally fake, but it can’t hurt.
- Keep your valuables secure in the room, or just leave them at home in the first place. Just in case, you know?
- Use some common sense. You don’t have to be a paranoid freak, but you don’t want to be too trusting, especially if your new roommate really is someone you have never met before. You may even want to request a copy of their driver’s license, or other identification card, for your records.
If you have stories about your room sharing experiences (good or bad), be sure to leave a comment!
The only year I had a negative experience rooming with friends was due to differences in schedule. I wanted to be up and about for panels and just to walk around and they all wanted to stay up until 4 a.m. every day we were there. Since then, I’ve roomed with my best friend, her husband, and sometimes my husband every year at Dragon*Con and it’s always been a lot of fun. It helps that everyone’s really considerate about sleep schedules and bathroom sharing and we get together on a weekly basis at home, so we all know we get along.
Even if someone is not truly “sharing the room” by buying in, but just leaving their stuff there during the day, make sure you’ve gone over the rules with them. Last year, I had a friend keeping her stuff in my hotel room but going home every night. I tried getting in my room at 2 a.m. the Saturday of the con, and it was deadbolted. She had found some guy and invited him up …
Also, related to one of the items in your post, I had a friend who was the *perfect* hotel room buddy until I learned about his night terrors the hard way.
Yeah, I might have to stay with someone I don’t know at SakuraCon this year if I can’t find a roomie, nice tips!
There are 3 of us who share a room at every con. For the bigger cons, we have invited both strangers and friends to reduce the costs. Friends are definitely the way to go. Strangers are hit or miss. We’ve had bad experiences with strangers and hitches with friends, but nothing to make us stop sharing a room. You just have to be considerate, agree on rules, and be organized (this last is especially true and difficult if you’re a costumer). These tips are great and they put into words what we do all the time. Thanks!
6 people, 1 room, all at Dragon*Con. I lost my Keyblade because of my friend’s mess and ended up at the lines 3 hours late. I shall follow your wisdom next year.