Sharing a vacation home with another family - question about choosing rooms

[Anonymous]

It seems the last person gets worst pick.

We recently went on a trip with 2 friends. Our one friend paid for it. He owed DH money so instead of paying DH back, he rented this vacation home. This was a large house so we invited a mutual friend. Mutual friend agreed to come and no financials were discussed. I think the third friend expected to pay 1/3.

We got there last. Booking friend took the master and other friend took prime bedrooms. We were told the basement rooms were available.

I am still pissed about this trip. Our friend who owed us more money than the entire damn rental took the best room and the non paying friend took the prime other rooms. I think what annoys me is that I am not even sure the wives knew we were the ones treating everyone for this house.

I think if it was a split evenly type situation, the booker should get first pick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems the last person gets worst pick.

We recently went on a trip with 2 friends. Our one friend paid for it. He owed DH money so instead of paying DH back, he rented this vacation home. This was a large house so we invited a mutual friend. Mutual friend agreed to come and no financials were discussed. I think the third friend expected to pay 1/3.

We got there last. Booking friend took the master and other friend took prime bedrooms. We were told the basement rooms were available.

I am still pissed about this trip. Our friend who owed us more money than the entire damn rental took the best room and the non paying friend took the prime other rooms. I think what annoys me is that I am not even sure the wives knew we were the ones treating everyone for this house.

I think if it was a split evenly type situation, the booker should get first pick.

yikes. You guys need new friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The booker chooses

Why. No really though, why? Getting on VRBO and filling out a booking form after sending a few emails around is not THAT involved. I've had one too many family "vacations" where the self appointed family planner booked every single trip so they could also claim the best room. No one could pry her precious booking duty out of her hands.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems the last person gets worst pick.

We recently went on a trip with 2 friends. Our one friend paid for it. He owed DH money so instead of paying DH back, he rented this vacation home. This was a large house so we invited a mutual friend. Mutual friend agreed to come and no financials were discussed. I think the third friend expected to pay 1/3.

We got there last. Booking friend took the master and other friend took prime bedrooms. We were told the basement rooms were available.

I am still pissed about this trip. Our friend who owed us more money than the entire damn rental took the best room and the non paying friend took the prime other rooms. I think what annoys me is that I am not even sure the wives knew we were the ones treating everyone for this house.

I think if it was a split evenly type situation, the booker should get first pick.

yikes. You guys need new friends.

+ 1

Rude!

[Anonymous]

We just take turns. It’s not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:and this is why we don't vacation with other families.

Yep, also my kids eventually get sick of the other kids and I don't enjoy co parenting with people who are not my husband.

+1

Especially because the other family tends to be more "hands off" (call it what you want) and wants us to entertain their kids. Instead we want to ENJOY OUR KIDS - we don't particularly enjoy theirs, we just tolerate them, same as their parents!


Why would you even consider vacationing with people you just “tolerate.” You vacation with friends and typically people attract friends with similar values and temperaments. We enjoy our friends, their children, and the fun that comes with having lots of people to play with all week. I do think that if you’re high strung or generally inflexible then vacationing with other families would be difficult.

You are right, and they are!

[Anonymous]

We go to the beach every year with two other families. We always book a house with multiple masters. We also always go over the floor plan in advance and decide who will get which rooms. We have done this for years to avoid kid fights but apparently many of you need help avoiding adult fights

[Anonymous]

Once shared a house with 2 other couples and was the last to arrive. The couple who booked and paid the deposit claimed the master with king bed, private balcony, and en suite bath (fine), the other couple claimed the queen bedroom with its own bathroom, and DH and I were stuck in a windowless "bedroom" with two twin beds and a bathroom down the hall.

So, for a trip of 3 couples you chose a rental with the following 3 bedroom options:
BR1: master with king bed, private balcony, and en suite bath
BR2: queen bedroom with its own bathroom
BR3: windowless "bedroom" with two twin beds and a bathroom down the hall

You don't see that the problem was the group's choice of rental property, NOT who got which room? If you had been in the master and another couple in the windowless nook, you would have thought all was perfectly fine?

[Anonymous]

I didn't read all the comments but I don't think the booker should get first dibs on the room. I mean, given the opportunity, I would rather book it too just to earn credit card points!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After getting burned on this, I now always clarify the setup before committing to sharing a house. Most listings have ample photos so no reason not to hash this out before choosing a place and paying the deposit.

I don't expect the master suite if I'm not the one booking, but DH and I do want at least a queen bed in a room with a door that closes and our own bathroom.

Once shared a house with 2 other couples and was the last to arrive. The couple who booked and paid the deposit claimed the master with king bed, private balcony, and en suite bath (fine), the other couple claimed the queen bedroom with its own bathroom, and DH and I were stuck in a windowless "bedroom" with two twin beds and a bathroom down the hall.

Someone had to take the windowless bedroom… we’re you expecting one of the other couples to volunteer to take it? Sounds like this wasn’t a great house for three couples to rent.

I was expecting to choose rooms once everyone had arrived. Maybe flip a coin for the better room or maybe one couple offers to treat the other to dinner (or something) in exchange for getting the better room? I had no issue with the couple who booked and put down their CC claiming the master, but it seemed unfair for the other couple to claim the other good room, with no discussion, just because they got there first. DH and I would have waited until everyone was there to choose rooms, and if we lost a coin flip (or whatever) so be it.

Lesson learned and I now know to confirm I'll have suitable accommodations before committing to the trip.

I don't think you've thought this through. Under your coin flip or discussion scenario, you won't know if you have "suitable accommodations" before you go on the trip.

I meant a coin flip or discussion would have been more fair for that particular house, where 1 of the 3 bedrooms sucks for a couple hoping to enjoy some couple time on a kid-free vacation. After that trip I learned to figure out the bedroom situation ahead of time.

I would never book a place where there is such a huge difference in room type/quality amongst adult couples without everyone clearing it first, with a specific plan in place prior to booking. Honestly even then I’m still not sure I’d be comfortable doing it - it just really isn’t fair to the ones stuck in such subpar accommodations compared to the others. Maybe if they agreed to a reduced monetary share. Maybe.

I wouldn’t either and I just assumed the non-master rooms would be similar and regardless that we would decide on bedrooms once everyone arrived. Again, lesson learned.

The lesson learned should be to look at the house before you agree to it, which you apparently didn't do.

[Anonymous]

This is why we get seperates homes close to one another. I actually don't enjoy sharing vacation homes even with family, let alone friends.

[Anonymous]

My family once got two nice hotel rooms as my sibling was married and I stayed with the parents who paid for both using points. My sibling got mad because parents hotel room was set up nicer then theirs-only due to the location on the floor. Made our trip miserable and complained the whole time.

I always just get a room for myself and let others get their own lodging. Works out a lot better.

[Anonymous]

The person who found the house gets the main bedroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Person who books gets first choice.

We once shared a house with 2 other families and got there last. The family who had not booked picked a nice room for themselves (fine) and gave their 2 kids the other room with a kings sized bed. DH and I got a room with a full. That was annoying.

In that case, I would have asked to switch.

[Anonymous]

Why would the person who books automatically get the best room? I say that as someone who is always the person who books everything for any group trip. Seems ridiculous to get some sort of reward for relatively minor labor, though.