Can 18-year olds check into a hotel?

[Luv Bunnies]

Anyone have any experience with 18-year olds checking into a hotel without a credit card? Can it even be done? Most hotel websites say "must be 21 to check-in." DS and his friend are graduating high school this week. Both are 18 years-old. I was talking to the friend's parents last night and we agreed that we'd like to send the boys on a trip together before they go off to colleges in different states. They love roller coasters so we're thinking of buying them tickets for Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California. It's about a 5-hour drive from where we live, so they would need to stay in a hotel. Neither has a credit card. We could prepay the room on Hotels.com, but wouldn't they still need a credit card on file for incidentals? Could the friend's mom or I give a credit card number over the phone, or would the hotel need to actually run it there?

We're not worried about these boys trashing the room or doing anything stupid. They're both very responsible, good drivers, have level heads. They just really like to ride roller coasters together so we parents want to send them on an amazing trip. I have a hotel in mind and will call to see if the boys will be able to check-in. Just wondering if anyone has done this kind of thing before?

 

[lilia78]

My oldest son is 20 now but has been checking himself into hotels since he was 18. He does have his own credit card (his name, a secondary card on my account) so that might be the reason why.

I know that I recently booked a room and prepaid it through Travelocity and they still scanned the Credit Card at check-in for incidentals.

If you know which hotel it is, it would probably be best to check directly with them.

Sounds like a fun trip for them, I hope it works out!

 

[MillauFr]

The only place I have seen a restriction on 18yo checking into hotels is Las Vegas.

 

[wilkeliza]

Depends on the hotel on if they can book and check in at 18. They will definitely need a cc for incidentals. Not sure if you can call before hand or not.

 

[adisneyaunt]

I'd Ck directly with the hotel of choice. Some Will not allow without a 21 also in the room.
As an aside, get that credit card going ... need to start establishing a good credit rating now ( and learning some fiscal responsibility doesn't hurt either lol)
Great idea by the way... lucky kids!

 

[smokeyblue]

I would just get the kid a credit card with a low limit and teach him how to use it and avoid any problems. I ended up having to travel a lot in college because of the clubs I was in and having a credit card was pretty much necessary.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I can't remember where 6 flags actually is? But there are several hostels in SoCal if you don't find hotels.

The credit card is not a huge problem- I stayed in places with my debit card just fine but the hotel can take a huge deposit out on a debit card and it won't be available until a few days after they leave.

There are many hotels, however, that WON'T let under 21 stay there and they will check ID. You need to call and talk to each hotel- ask their minimum age.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I would just get the kid a credit card with a low limit and teach him how to use it and avoid any problems. I ended up having to travel a lot in college because of the clubs I was in and having a credit card was pretty much necessary.

We have been talking about getting him a low-limit credit card since he's going to college across the country. He has a debit card but should probably have a credit card too. He probably won't get it before this trip, which will probably happen in late June or early July. The other option is for me to drive them down, along with my other son. I could check into both rooms and then just kind of leave them on their own. My other son and I don't enjoy Magic Mountain, so we would go off and do other things in the area. The boys could Uber or shuttle to and from the park each day. I would stay out of their way unless they needed something. The other family took them to Disneyland last year. I suppose I could take a turn too.

 

[mjkacmom]

Have him get a credit card.

 

[rastahomie]

Definitely depends on the hotel, maybe depends on the state.

My BFF's stepson and his girlfriend have checked into the Drury Plaza in St. Louis, she's 19 and he's 18. He has a Visa debit card attached to his bank account. He tells me he had no trouble at all; paid in advance on Travelocity, scanned his card for incidentals, no one asked any questions or gave him the fish eye or anything.

 

[DLgal]

Have him apply for a credit card or make him an authorized user on one of yours. Easy.

 

[wenrob]

My DD has been going on road trips with friends since 18. She used her debit card for them before she got a credit card. Some hotels are 21 and over but many are 18 and over. She hasn't had an issue finding any.

While I agree he needs a credit card, new cards for young people who don't have established credit typically don't have very high limits. I'm pretty sure he'd need enough on it to cover the stay to use it. A $500 limit probably wouldn't cut it.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I've looked into this myself in the past, and as others have said, it depends on the hotel. Even within a hotel chain, the policy may be different in different locations in the US. Apparently in some states/counties/cities, there are local regulations that set a minimum age, but an individual hotel can also set it higher.

I have found that it's generally more of an issue with more upscale hotels/resorts, i.e. those that have mini-bars in the rooms and/or an onsite restaurant or bar that allows you to order alcoholic beverages from room service. Or casinos where the gambling age is 21.

Call the hotel and ask. If your son doesn't have his own cc by then, ask if he can use a parent's with permission. It's definitely a good idea for him to apply for one now and start building credit. Congrats to your son. What a nice gift.

 

[Kaytie]

Hilton Garden Inn Valencia Six Flags, minimum age to check in 18.
Courtyard by Marriott Santa Clarita Valencia "An adult age 18 or older must assume all liability for the booking."
Ditto for Hyatt Regency Valencia. I'm not going to search for any more, you get the point.

 

[disneychrista]

I would check with the hotel but it might be possible for you to put a CC on the account "just in case." They wouldn't need to have a physical card.

 

[low-key]

If they wear a fake mustache

 

[sunshine1178]

If you're going to put your credit card on file, but not be there yourself, they probably have a form for you to complete. I worked at a construction company, and we'd rent hotel rooms for workers to use on out-of-town projects. We completed the form and then named employees could check in without presenting their own cards.

 

[traviesojmt]

We live in Texas and my DS19 goes to college in TN. When he travels back and forth, we have to call hotels individually to verify the policy. Choice hotels are predominantly 21 and above. I can always find hotels that are 18 and up though. He does not have a credit card. I reserve the hotel with my card and he pays with his debit card when he checks into the hotel. This has never been an issue. I will say that some hotels were fine with him staying under 21 alone but not with another under 21 year old.

 

[karensi]

Have him apply for a credit card or make him an authorized user on one of yours. Easy.

I saw you said that if your son applies for a cc in his name it probably wouldn't come in time. However, I believe if you got a card for him under a cc account that is in your name you would probably get the card rather quickly. Worse case scenario, I believe you could pay a small fee and have the cc company express mail the card to you/him.

 

[SMD]

I've sent credit card authorizations to pay for employee rooms with a company card when they won't have the card at check-in. Most of the time the form they send me has boxes to check for room and tax only or to ok incidentals. I call the hotel and ask how they handle booking with a cc auth. Sometimes it's by phone, but sometimes they have me book online and then send the form. It's usually by email, but sometimes I've had to fax it. They'll ask for a copy of both sides of card and the cardholder's ID. However, I think it would be better for them to have some kind of credit card in case of emergency so if that's possible I'd keep that as plan A.