When you travel, one of your priorities upon your arrival is to have a hotel to check into. However, hotels often require you to be at least 18 years old to reserve or check into their rooms. To know if a hotel will let you check-in is to give them a call and ask. But, there are resources online you can use to help you narrow down the field when looking for Chicago hotels with 18 year old check-in age. With these resources, you can easily find these hotels in the city with a few clicks of a mouse.
Making Reservations
You can often make hotel reservations online using a credit card. Generally, you must be 18, but reserving and checking in can have different requirements. Every hotel has its own policies when it comes to these, so make sure to check the hotel website or call them. Often, setting age policy for hotels is not a corporate decision; however, a decision by individual hotel property.
Why you Should be 18 Years Old to Book?
At 18, you are considered a legal adult, but different industries may consider your youthful energy too much of a liability. For instance, you usually cannot rent a car if you are not at least 21 years old, and you generally need to pay extra fees until you are 25.
Usually, hotels do not trust young people with a room to themselves to avoid liability for youthful proclivities. Hotels cannot enforce contracts signed by minors, putting them at risk of an underage customer does not paying the bill. Also, they can be held legally responsible if something happens to underage customers during their stay. But, Chicago has lodging options for people who are 18+ years old.
Exceptions to the Age Requirement
Some hotels make exceptions to the minimumage requirement, depending on the circumstances. If the reservationwas made by the parents or legal guardians under their name and credit card, some hotels might allow guests younger than 18 years old to check- in without their guardians. This is also applicable to cases when the underage guest is traveling with someone older than 18.
What to Do if you are Under 18
If you are not 18 yet it is often impossible to check into a hotel in Chicago. But, you can get around this by considering the following options:
- Getting your parents to writea permission for you. The majority of hotels will accept written authorization from a parent or guardian if you are under 18. They will ask your parents to fill out a liability form. Make sure to contact the hotel first as some hotels may not offer this form.
- Giving the hotel a credit card. By giving a credit card, the hotel can easily get its payment for your reservation and bill the card for any damage you might do to the room.
- Negotiating with the hotel. If you are almost 18, you might be able to negotiate with a hotel. The need to have a place to stay during your trip is enough reason to give it a try.