Why Haven’t You Heard About the 50% Savings on Second Hotel Rooms for Families with Kids?

Some hotel chains offer discounts up to 50% on the second room when traveling with children.

I’ve closely examined these offers with Accor, Marriott, and Hyatt, and how to obtain them.

These discounts are often challenging to find and complicated to book.

Are they worth the effort?

Accor Group

• Applicable at certain hotels in select chains: Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Ibis, Ibis Styles, Mövenpick, and Rixos
• 50% off second room for children—age limitations vary by hotel. Discount also applies to breakfast. Applied to the flexible rate. Benefit can apply to up to 6 rooms.
• No guarantee of connecting, adjoining, or nearby rooms.
• Difficult to check availability online as it’s not possible to request rooms without adults, and hotels are often unsure.

Marriott

• Applicable to 720 properties in Europe, Middle East, and Africa—search page here
• Second room must be occupied by children under 16, with an accompanying adult on the reservation. No guarantee of connecting rooms.
• Promotional code is ZJ5. Offer visible under Deals and Packages. Using ZJ5 can help find if the hotel might offer that rate on different dates. Can apply to up to 10 rooms.
• Booking requires the full flexible rate, and the confirmation shows the non-discounted rate. The hotel applies the discount at check-in after verifying children in the party. This decreases confidence in the booking process. I recommend calling ahead or emailing the hotel to clarify before arrival and avoid check-in complications.

Hyatt Family Plan

• Hyatt offers 50% off when children are included in the second room. Age classification varies by hotel—12 or 18 are most common.
• Rate only available by calling the individual hotel. Not applicable at all hotels, but generally accepted. Ask specifically for the Family Plan if the reservations agent is unsure.
• No guarantee of connecting, adjoining, or nearby rooms. Ask each hotel and double-check the day before arrival.
• World of Hyatt points can be used for the first room while still eligible for 50% off cash on the second room at eligible hotels.

How could these offers be better?

Other hotel chains, like Hilton, occasionally offer similar discounts. It’s best to call hotels on your shortlist to discuss if you’re unsure.

These hotel offers are difficult to book online, have varied applications making benefits hard to see, and only apply to flexible rates. The discount may be small or even cost more compared to other promotional rates.

A user-friendly online solution would be to show average room rates on the initial search based on the total adult/child combination, but this seems beyond the current scope of IT systems.

Bottom line: obtaining these discounts likely requires time and phone calls but can ultimately offer significant savings.