Air mattresses are portable and inflatable beds typically made of rubber or PVC. Many travelers, especially those traveling in a large group, prefer carrying an air mattress with them in case the hotel doesn’t offer free extra beds for additional guests. But can you bring an air mattress to a hotel?
To put it simply, almost all hotels allow their guests to bring an air mattress. However, it’s always a good idea to confirm and inquire about the hotel’s policies. Additionally, you should also verify whether the air mattress would fit in the room or not and if the hotel allows extra guests in the same room.
If you’re looking for more detailed information regarding hotel policies, extra bedding, air mattresses in hotels, and inflating an air mattress, keep reading!
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Do Hotels Care If You Have an Extra Person?
There are several reasons why you might be required to inform a hotel about any extra guest that might be sharing your booked hotel room with you. Most hotels charge a few extra bucks for additional guests in the room. While the additional costs may vary, the standard range is between $10 and $60.
High-end resorts also charge additional money for extra guests. The extra charges usually correlate with the amenities that are available for all the guests staying at the resort or hotel. While there might be a chance that you can get away with sneaking a guest into your room, this is NOT recommended. If caught, you can risk getting charged extra money, especially if the hotel has access to your credit card, and face penalties or, worse, get removed from the hotel premises.
In addition to this, while some hotels don’t charge extra money for any additional guests, they do restrict the number of guests per room. This restriction is typically implemented to adhere to the fire codes, as communicated by the fire marshal’s policy for the hotel. If you request such hotels to increase the number of guests for your relatively larger group of friends or family members, they might accommodate it.
It is pertinent to mention, however, that skipping this detail is not recommended even if no additional cost is associated with your additional guest. In case of an emergency, the hotel staff would need to be aware of the actual number of guests per room to ensure all of them are safely escorted from the property.
If you hide the actual number of guests moving in with you at a hotel, resort, or motel, you will be jeopardizing their safety in case there’s an emergency because the hotel staff won’t be accounting for the undocumented guests that they don’t know are staying there.
In conclusion, additional charges, fire codes, and emergencies are a few of the many reasons why a hotel might care about you bringing an extra person to stay with you. It’s best to notify the hotel staff of the additional guests who will be sharing the room with you.
How to Ask for an Extra Bed in a Hotel
Before you pack that air mattress for a flight or road trip, check to see if your hotel instead offers an extra bed or two in the room. If you will require an extra bed in your hotel room, it’s best to contact them and verify whether they offer such facilities. Most hotels have a limited stock of extra beds and may or may not charge you an additional fee for the bed, so it’s always best to ask them beforehand and include it in the booking request information.
Almost all hotels offer three types of beds, including cots, rollaways, and cribs. It is pertinent to mention that while some hotels offer these facilities free of cost, most of them charge between $10 and $25 per day for an extra bed. The best time to inform the hotel directly of your requirement is when you’re booking your room or right after you check-in.
What if There is No Capacity for Extra Beds in the Room?
If you have a large family staying in a room or if your friends come over for a night in your hotel room, you will run out of beds. You will need to talk to your hotel staff to arrange extra beds in the room.
However, if there is no capacity for extra beds, you will need to make more space or make do with a sleeping bag, as even an air mattress may not fit. You will need to find out the dimensions of your room via the hotel’s website or by directly calling them to confirm how many beds it has and to ask for the amount of free floor space so that you can determine if your air mattress or sleeping bag can be placed somewhere. You don’t want to show up at the hotel and find that your gear doesn’t fit. Sleeping on a hotel floor isn’t a good idea!
Consider moving the beds around and putting them closer to create room for a mattress. See if you can open a closet and fit a section of your bed into it. Push all the furniture together. If you have got two chairs, put them together to make an impromptu bed for a kid.
If all of this does not work, your last resort is to get a vacation rental. A vacation rental will easily fit a big family and won’t have any limitations when it comes to space.
Can You Bring an Air Mattress to a Hotel?
If you are unwinding with your friends or family during the holidays and want to save some money by having more people stay in one room, you should ideally ask the hotel for an extra bed. Standard hotel rooms offer one or two beds in a room, which does not leave enough space for more beds. You may want to bring a travel blow up mattress to meet your needs.
But can you even bring an air mattress to a hotel? Does the hotel administration allow that? Well, yes. Most of them do. Although most hotels let you bring an air mattress to your room, you need to make sure of that first and that there is enough space in the room. Since every hotel has a different policy, you will need to contact your specific hotel administration or check their policy on their website to confirm.
If your hotel lets you bring an air mattress, make sure you know the dimensions of the room and those of the air mattress. If you have a double room, a twin or full mattress will most likely fit in the space. However, it may not be enough to accommodate an adult, as a twin mattress is ideal for children.
Below are the different sizes your air mattress comes in:
● Twin: 38″ x 75″
● Full: 54″ x 75″
● Queen: 60″ x 80″
● King: 76″ x 80″
If you have two extra adults in the room, you will need to opt for a queen- or a king-sized air mattress. But do note that a king-sized air mattress may be too big for a double room.
Can You Bring an Air Mattress to a Disney Hotel?
As long as you are following their rule of the number of guests allowed in a room, Disney lets you bring an air mattress to your room. Just make sure the number of guests checked into your room does not exceed the number that is allowed.
Disney hotels allow 4-5 guests per room, depending on the type of room you get. So if you don’t have enough beds in your room, you can bring air mattresses to accommodate the remaining guests.
However, do note that you also have the option to get a rollaway bed, a bigger crib, or bed rails from Disney hotels if they are available. The hotel may charge you a small fee per night for the rollaway bed.
Other Things You Can Bring to Sleep on in a Hotel
In addition to a travel air mattress, you can also bring a folding mattress to your hotel. A folding mattress is bulky but exceptionally lightweight and portable.
Another alternative to an air mattress is a sleeping bag. A sleeping bag is the easiest to set up, carry around, and sleep in. You won’t even need a blanket. However, make sure that your sleeping bag is clean and does not have any dirt from a camping trip you may have taken before.
In addition, you also have the option to bring other things to your hotel room. For instance, people with allergies can bring their own bed sheets or pillowcases, as hotel linens are washed in strong detergents. This also applies to people who are very skeptical about the cleanliness of hotel sheets or if they worry that there may be bed bugs in the room.
Moreover, if your doctor has suggested using a special pillow to get a good night’s sleep, you can also bring your own pillow to a hotel room to ensure that you sleep well.
Best Lightweight and Compact Air Mattress for a Hotel Room
If you are looking for the best air mattress to take to a hotel room, you should definitely check out the Intex Dura-Beam Series Pillow Rest Raised Air Mattress that comes with an internal pump. That’s right! This mattress comes with a built-in pump.
All you need to do is plug it into an electric socket, and the air mattress will inflate on its own within 2.5 minutes. You can even connect a manual inflator pump with this mattress as it comes with a hole for manual pumps inside the cord compartment. This is useful if you also want to use this mattress for camping trips where you may not get a power supply.
In terms of comfort, this air mattress comes with a strong support system that won’t let the mattress dip. What’s more, the sides of this mattress are indented to ensure that your fitted sheets do not come out.
The Intex Dura-Beam also has a raised pillow rest for a good night’s sleep so that your pillow doesn’t slip off in the middle of the night. It can withstand weights of up to 300 pounds, and its dimensions are 39″ X 75″ X 16.5″. Overall, it is an excellent product with a hand carry bag for storage and transportation. It is very easy to set up and take down.
How to Inflate an Air Mattress in a Hotel Room
Follow the steps below to learn how to inflate an air mattress using various ways.
Using the Built-In Pump
● Locate the built-in pump on the side of the mattress.
● Plug the built-in pump into an electric power source.
● Flip the switch on, and your mattress will start inflating.
Using an Electric Portable Pump
● Locate and open the valve cover by removing the protective cap.
● Insert the electric pump’s nozzle into the valve opening or the hole. Make sure that the pump is tightly fitted into the valve so that no air escapes.
● Turn the electric pump on, and your mattress will start inflating.
● Once done, remove the pump and put the hole cap or the valve cover back to make sure the air stays in.
Using a Manual Portable Pump
● Locate and open the valve cover by removing the protective cap.
● Insert the manual pump’s nozzle into the valve opening or the hole. Make sure that the pump is tightly fitted into the valve so that no air escapes. If it’s not, you can seal the openings by using duct tape.
● Start pumping air using the manual pump. A manual hand pump will require an up and down motion to pump air, whereas a manual foot pump will require you to step on the pedal repeatedly to pump air.
● Although it may take a lot of time, your mattress will start inflating.
● Once done, remove the pump and put the hole cap or the valve cover back to make sure the air stays in.
Without a Pump
Without an electric or manual pump, you can inflate your mattress using a hair dryer, a tire pump, or a vacuum cleaner.
● Using a hair dryer: Turn the hair dryer on using cool air and put it as close to the valve opening or the hole as possible. Your mattress will take time to inflate as the hair dryer nozzle will not fit the valve opening.
● Using a bike or tire pump: If you have a tire or a bike pump, you can use it to inflate your mattress. But you may need to attach an adapter nozzle to ensure that the pump nozzle can fit into the valve opening. Ask your hotel if you can borrow one if they have it.
● Using a vacuum cleaner: You will have to ask housekeeping if you can use their vacuum cleaner for this. If the vacuum cleaner can blow air, it can also be used to inflate a mattress. Just hold the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner or any other air blowing machine close to the valve or air hole and start blowing air.
FAQs
Yes, they do. Some hotels offer rollaway beds for a small charge of $10-$20 per night, while others offer them for free.
Yes, you can. Hotels offer extra mattresses and bedding upon request. This can include cots, cribs, rollaways, and mattresses. They may offer it for free or charge a small fee per night.
The best way to pack air mattresses so that they occupy minimal space is by folding them thrice or rolling them up, and packing them in a box or a bag.
Some hotels offer extra complimentary beds on double occupancy. However, others don’t. They will charge $20 – $50 per night for an extra bed.