Why Are Hotel Rooms Often More Expensive for Solo Travelers?

October 29, 2022, 10:28 am | Read time: 3 minutes

Those traveling alone often pay as much for a hotel room as two guests together. Yet, a single room should be cheaper than one for multiple people. How can this be? TRAVELBOOK asked an expert why hotel rooms for solo travelers are expensive.

It depends on whether you’re traveling for business or personal reasons, treating yourself, or simply fulfilling obligations and need a place to stay. Often, guests would be satisfied with a small, functional room. The advantage: Smaller should mean cheaper–at least, that’s the assumption. Unfortunately, this calculation often doesn’t work out. But why are hotel rooms for solo travelers often so disproportionately expensive?

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For a business overnight stay alone, a spacious double room is not necessary. However, the price remains the same.

Single and double rooms often cost the same

Less space, smaller bathroom and bed–yet the price for a single room often differs only slightly from that of a double room. “This is because the service effort for the hotel is about the same,” explains Adi Schwarz, revenue manager of a large German hotel group, in an interview with TRAVELBOOK.

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Hotel room price depends partly on service effort

Logically, actually. In a double room, it’s just a few more square feet of floor (e.g., for vacuuming), a towel (for replacing, washing), and a set of bed linens (fluffing, cleaning)–and sometimes not even that. In any case, the extra effort in terms of service, rent, etc., for an additional guest is hardly significant for the hotel. That’s why classic single rooms are becoming increasingly rare in newer hotels or during renovations, explains Schwarz. Instead: Double rooms that can also be occupied by just one person if necessary.

So, it’s less of a surcharge for solo travelers and more about the hotel’s revenue share. For one person, it’s 100 percent for the same room, while two travelers can split the room price.

In hotels where the quality or size differences between room categories are still significant, prices can vary greatly. However, in such cases, the number of affordable single rooms is often very limited. Most hotel rooms are equally priced for solo travelers and those traveling with companions. This can be perfectly fine for a pragmatic overnight stay with only a short time spent in the room.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TRAVELBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@travelbook.de.