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Do all T/S companies count an infant as one person?

jhm40cu

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Hello.

I own WorldMark and tried to book for the X-Mas weekend in BC, Canada. I plan to travel with my spouse and a baby so I was looking for a room that can accommodate 2 people. I was surprised to find out that they will not accept my reservation since they count an infant as one person and the unit only accommodates up to 2 people. :(

I have never seen a hotel that charges extra for an infant no matter how upscale the hotel was. Do other resorts (including II and RCI) also count an enfant as one person?

Thanks.
 

Icc5

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Fire Codes

It might not be them, it might be the local fire codes. The other fact of the matter is the baby is another person. I'm sure you are finding that out in costs for everything.
Bart
 

geekette

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On ships, it's "number of souls", so it's not unprecedented to count any human, regardless of size and age.

Sorry you ran into it, tho.
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
3 Tots + Mom & Dad In Adjoining Timeshare Unit.

That time we took a "surprise" vacation in our newly bought floating-week Orlando 3BR lock-off timeshare (because by the time the dust settled on the resale purchase it was too late in the year to reserve a high-demand 3BR week we could rent out), we did manage to get last-minute renters for the 1BR "B" unit lock-off while The Chief Of Staff & I & another couple we've known since before any of us had kids occupied the adjoining main 2BR "A" unit.

The people who rented our 1BR "A" unit were a nice young couple with a little boy 3 years old plus twins about 6 months old.

Having 5 souls in a 4/2 timeshare unit surely violated the maximum capacity guidelines, but nobody made a fuss about it.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 

Luanne

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I didn't think it was the trade companies that had the restrictions, but the resorts themselves.
 

DEROS

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Fire Codes??

I don't believe it is a fire code issue. I am assuming that a studio is about the same size as a hotel room. However, hotel rooms allow a max of 4 guest. So why would the local laws say hotels are ok with 4 but TS only 2? The logic is not there.

Someone suggested to me that it was because the TS only puts one bed in the studio. So, why can't they put a sofa bed. I am assuming TS studio is setup just like a hotel room (bed, SOFA, tv).

My thought, it is a price / marketing gimick. It forces the majority of the people buying TS to purchase a bigger unit, atleast 1 bdrm, which normally cost more. Also, if you are trading, you will have to pay more (points wise) for the trade. Which would diminish your return. My example, I could have gotten a studio at HHV-Lagoon Tower for 4 nights (Wed - Sat) for 1440pts. However, since there was 4 of us, wife and 2 kids (1yrs and 7 yrs), I had to settle for 3 nights midweek in a 1 bdrm (Tue-Fri).
 

vacationhopeful

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Fire Codes, Housing Codes, Occupancy Codes, Zoning Codes ....

These are local, county, or state codes and differing in all details per locale. There is no logic, rhyme or reason, except to the official who enforces and gets paid to do that job.

That concept of "soul", as expressed by a previous poster, is the correct interpertation. As the airlines now require a birth certificate for the "free" infant onboard ride, it is due to the more complex world we live in.

I can't and won't allow an over-occupancy to continue after I have
"discovered" it. In today's world, being a nice guy for the young family can get you jail time, lost of your livelihood, very large fines, forfiture of your property (or vacation), defendant status in lawsuit(s), and embarassment in the 6PM local news. All so you or your friend benefits by a few dollars?

JMHO,
 

beanb41

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If you made a booking for 2 adults nd turned up with an infant waht do you think the response would be. I reckon the reception staff probably wuldnt even notice. I am assuming that the infant is a baby type not a toddler type.
 

geekette

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I forgot that I had a renter with this issue - 5 kids, 2 adults, unit accomodates 6.

I called the resort and told them the ages of the kids and they said it was fine, since the two little ones were really small. Their concern was sleeping comfort.

Definitely call the resort - they should know the rule and why it is in place!

good luck!
 

Mel

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It is a variety of issues, all rolled together.

1 - fire codes. The resort has an occupancy limit based on fire codes. While the individual units may or may not be rated for the same limit as their intended occupancy, the fire codes might not allow for 1 or 2 extra per room.

2 - septic issues. If the resort has a septic system, that is rated for a specific number of people. Again, while the resort may have room to allow a couple of extra occupants, probably not enough to increase occupancy per room. An infant still makes use of the septic system, just like any other child.

3- economic issues. While hotels charge per person, timeshares charge for the room. While many hotels won't charge for an extra infant, many also don't charge extra for children of ANY age, or under certain age, such as 18 or 12.

4 - wear and tear of the unit. More occupants means more wear and tear, which results in greater maintenance issues for the owners.

5 - Sleeping accomodations Occupancy is set by the number of beds through the exchange companies, and is based on the available beds, and often couches. Sometimes a unit will have an extra couch, making it possible for an extra person to have sleaping space (sometime 2 couches even),

Also consider that everyone who reserves a room is made aware of the occupancy - owners when they bought the unit, or renters/exchangers when the reservation was made. This has impact on not just your reservation, but on eveyone near you.

Consider the situation posed by the OP - a studio unit intended for 2 occupants. Are the other units near it all studios? Not only do those others expect occupancy to be enforced equally, but they may have reserved based on the fact that these are sleep 2 units, rather than sleep 4. While it is entirely poassible a single parent might travel with an infant, it is not very likely, and those neighbors will not be expecting to hear an infant crying through the night.

It is fine to call a resort and see if they have a policy allowing an extra infant, but most don't, so don't expect it. Those hotels that allow the infant would most likely also allow another adult, for a fee. The fee is not the issue, the occupancy of the unit is.
 
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