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Against the Law? Yes or No (and why)

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Caveman

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You're on a road trip with a large family. You pull over at the local motel/hotel. There are "rules" about X number of people per room. Ostensibly, this is based on fire codes, etc...

Sometimes you may be asked "how many will be staying in your room"?

Multiple rooms are expensive and inconvenient.

Are you really breaking any laws or is this just a tradition thing, done to squeeze more money from customers or prevent college students from holding sleepover parties for 20+ folks each night?

Really now... How could a law (if it is a law) be upheld? i.e. you have some friends over to your room for 3/4 of the night to watch TV... Are you breaking the law...? There's so much subjectivity here... And it seems like this is a relatively "new thing" (in past 20 years)...

Do the police come and haul peopleaway to jail?

Has anyone wondered this before? Anyone worked at a hotel and know the background? Curious to hear what people think...
 
It could be considered as theft of services. You paid for X # of people, but you are actually allowing XX # of people to stay there. Usually they will just toss you out of the room.
 
The owner just wants to ensure that they are covered under local fire laws so that when you and your 12 friends burn the place down b/c you were cooking 4 ounces of coke into crack and having a 4-day smoke-a-thon, that they get their money from the insurance. It's all about money, all the time.
 
In some states, it's called "defrauding an innkeeper."

At best, if you get caught, they'll make you pay for the extra people, or make you rent another room...or kick you out.

At worst, they can call the cops and you get cited...or maybe hauled to jail until they can take you to court.

http://handslegal.com/index.php/Cal...37;C2%A7_537_-_Defrauding_innkeepers_etc.html

(a) Any person who obtains any food, fuel, services, or accommodations at a hotel, inn, restaurant, boardinghouse, lodginghouse, apartment house, bungalow court, motel, marina, marine facility, autocamp, ski area, or public or private campground, without paying therefor, with intent to defraud the proprietor or manager thereof, or who obtains credit at an hotel, inn, restaurant, boardinghouse, lodginghouse, apartment house, bungalow court, motel, marina, marine facility, autocamp, or public or private campground by the use of any false pretense, or who, after obtaining credit, food, fuel, services, or accommodations, at an hotel, inn, restaurant, boardinghouse, lodginghouse, apartment house, bungalow court, motel, marina, marine facility, autocamp, or public or private campground, absconds, or surreptitiously, or by force, menace, or threats, removes any part of his or her baggage therefrom with the intent not to pay for his or her food or accommodations is guilty of a public offense punishable as follows:

(1) If the value of the credit, food, fuel, services, or accommodations is nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) or less, by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding six months, or both.

Yes, having more people in the room than you register can be prosecuted under this statute.
 
In some states, it's called "defrauding an innkeeper."

At best, if you get caught, they'll make you pay for the extra people, or make you rent another room...or kick you out.

At worst, they can call the cops and you get cited...or maybe hauled to jail until they can take you to court.

http://handslegal.com/index.php/Cal...l_Code_§_537_-_Defrauding_innkeepers_etc.html

Yes, having more people in the room than you register can be prosecuted under this statute.

This.

MotionMan
 
In some states, it's called "defrauding an innkeeper."

At best, if you get caught, they'll make you pay for the extra people, or make you rent another room...or kick you out.

At worst, they can call the cops and you get cited...or maybe hauled to jail until they can take you to court.

http://handslegal.com/index.php/Cal...l_Code_§_537_-_Defrauding_innkeepers_etc.html



Yes, having more people in the room than you register can be prosecuted under this statute.

Lol, so I shouldn't have asked for 5 sets of room keys when I booked a suite for "2" in Vegas.
 
Me and my friends do it but we dont bring attention to ourselves. We only get 2 room keys..dont all go in the hotel at once..things like that. We never had an issue.
 
They do this usually to prevent people from abusing their services. But nowadays, hotels seem to be asking a lot more for names and room numbers when you go to the breakfast hall, swimming pool, etc
 
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