Originally Posted by
Jack Tarlin
Corso:
It is, as Tater says, very common for hikers to share rooms. This is most often done by younger hikers, as older folks tend to have more money, can afford their own room, and tend to prefer quieter evenings.
It is always cheaper to share a room, and in many cases rooms can be shared by more than two people, as long as folks don't mind sharing beds or slepping on the floor.
Most Trail hotels/motels will allow at least four or five people in room, usually with an additional room rental fee of 5 to 10 dollars per extra person, to cover wear and tear on the room, extra hot water, linens, etc.
A few places have no limit at all and you can put as many folks as you want in the room, tho anything more than 4 or 5 will make for a very crowded and not very pleasant stay.
A few last comments: There aren't as many hiker friendly motels as there used to be, for all sorts of reasons. The best ways to keep motels hiker friendly are:
*Don't cheat them, i.e., don't invite your Trail friends in for free to shower or
overnight. If there's a fee for extra people involved, pay it.
*And don't sneak dogs in where they aren't allowed, either.
*Try and tidy the room up before you leave, no matter how many folks were
in it, but especially if there was a crowd. Collect towels, throw out any and
all garbage, consoldiate your trash in one place.
*Keep noise levels down, especially if there are a bunch of you in there. This
includes keeping the TV at a reasonable level.
*If a room is smoke-free, respect this.
*If you smoke things other than tobacco, be aware that in doing so, you
place yourself and your friends at risk.
*A motel is not a hostel, i.e. don't walk the halls wearing nothing but a towel.
And kep the noise down in hallways, especially at night.
*Respect common areas, especially TV's and computers. These aren't there
just for the hikers.
*Motel "Continental Breakfasts" are NOT supposed to be All You Can Eat
Buffets, nor should you take extra food for later.
*If it's wet or muddy out, make an effort and take off your boots immediately
after entering the room. The biggest complaints that motel owners have are
theft of services and extra cleaning fees. Along those lines, don't lie on a
bed wearing your boots and try not to do so til you and your clothes have
been cleaned, either.
*If you have stuff or gear outside the room, or hanging up to dry, do it in a
way that minimizes the space you're taking; i.e. don't hang up your filthy
stuff in front of another guest's door, etc.
*Oh, and the last one is try and leave a few dollars. Hotel housekeepers
make VERY little money and cleaning up a "hiker" room takes extra time and
effort. If one can afford a motel, then one can afford to leave a few dollars
for the housekeeper. This goes a long way towards keeping motels hiker-
friendly, and cuts down on complaints from the housekeeping staff that
eventually turns places against hikers, causes places to stop offering hiker
discounts or special rates, etc.
Corso.....this was a very long answer to your very simple question, but I think this is important stuff for people to know, especially if they plan to be using and sharing motels!
Another question... about lodging in trail towns...
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Like the world needed another acronym... Since i've been reading here, I've got lost in a sea of them!
