North Carolina is a popular state for both business and leisure travel thanks to centers of commerce and beautiful beaches. While not all hotels rent to customers under 21, we’ve found hotels across the state available to travelers 18 and older.
Are hotel age restrictions making your travel planning difficult? Are you under 21 and looking for a hotel room? Many people think hotels require you to be 21 to rent a room but this isn’t always the case. In fact, there are many hotels across the United States that rent to 18, 19, and 20 year olds.
Why do hotels have age restrictions?
The reasons for hotel age requirements vary by hotel. Hotels with minibars may want to avoid the hassle of accommodating 18 year olds when the drinking age is 21. Others may assume that the lost revenue from 18, 19, and 20 year olds customers is made up for by reduced insurance rates. But not every policy is necessarily based on fact and some hotel age discrimination simply comes from stereotyping of young people as irresponsible.
Most common hotel age requirements
Most American hotels have check-in ages of 18 or 21 but there are definitely exceptions. An age requirement of 25 sometimes appears in Spring Break locations or near universities since the hotels are willing to cast a wide net to avoid a party atmosphere. There are hotels with check-in ages of 19, 20, 22, and 23 years old but these policies are not common in the United States.
Are hotels for 18 year olds any good?
There are plenty of great hotels for 18 year olds. In fact, many five star hotels will rent to 18 year olds while many run-down motels set check-in ages at 21 or higher. Hotel quality and minimum check-in age are not connected based on our experience. When we look at the hotel industry this approach makes sense. Check-in policies are not typically set by chains but are instead set by individual hotels with separate owners making their own decisions.
How can I save money on my hotel?
Hotel rates can vary significantly by date, even within the same week. When hotels know they can fill their rooms rates go up but when they expect rooms to otherwise be empty cheap rooms are there for your taking. Sometimes just by moving your trip a few days you can save 20% or more. You can also consider traveling at off-peak times where more rooms are vacant. This comes with the additional bonus that attractions at your destination are likely to be less crowded and may even offer off-peak discounts.
Can you check into a hotel at 18?
There are plenty of hotels that 18 year olds can check into but finding hotels you can check into at 18 can be difficult. Fortunately North Carolina has some hotels for people under 21. Exactly which hotels allow 18 year olds varies by city and is rarely consistent across price and location. Additionally there are cheap motels for 18 year olds and five star resorts for 18 year olds since price is generally not the determining factor.
Why can’t you get a hotel room at 18?
We have found many hotels that allow 18 year olds to check-in in North Carolina but there are still many others hotels that require guests to be 21. Reasons for these policies vary and can include risks relating to drinking laws, potentially lower insurance rates, and stereotyping of young people.
Do hotels check ID for age?
Not every hotel will check ID for age but all hotels reserve the right to do so and turn away customers that do not meet their policies. We do not recommend trying to use fake IDs or rely on a hotel not checking, especially since there are so many hotels that actually want your business.
Can a 19 year olds check into a hotel?
In the U.S. nearly all hotels pick a check-in age of either 18 or 21 so 19 year olds face the same challenges in finding hotels as 18 year olds. Our lists of hotels are designed to help all customers that are 18, 19, or 20 years old.
Can you check into a Holiday Inn or Marriott at 18?
Check-in age policies are generally set by the hotel itself and not by the corporate brand. Because of this we have found check-in ages of 18 for some Holiday Inn hotels and 21 for other Holiday Inn hotels. Since check-in age policies vary by hotel we do not recommend relying on hotel brand names for check-in age policies.