You’ve been planning this trip with your friends since middle school. Texas is your destination of choice.
It’s your first trip traveling solo without the ‘rents.
But are you old enough?
Do hotels in Texas have minimum age requirements to book a hotel room?
Let’s find out!
Why do most hotels specify you must be 18 to book?
In the majority of US states, you have to be at least 18 years old to book a room in a hotel.
Age laws on hotels in Texas are often specific to the hotel, but state laws can dictate minimum age requirements as well.
If you’re traveling in a group, usually at least one of the group must meet this age requirement, but quite often all of the party must be at least 18 years old.
Why is this?
When you check into a hotel, you’re actually signing a contract.
You’re agreeing to pay the bill as well as comply with certain expected behaviors. Minors cannot sign contracts legally in the US until they are 18 years old.
Additionally, if minors do check into a hotel, the hotel is liable for those people as they are technically children on paper, despite how grown up they may feel or look.
This is a completely reasonable request if you think about it.
How many of your high school comrades would you trust alone in a hotel room for the night without parental or adult supervision?
What about hotels with a minimum age of 21?
Sadly, for those younger ones amongst us, many hotels require the person staying to be at least 21 years of age or accompanied by someone over that age.
Indeed, for a certain class of hotels, particularly ones designed with older people in mind, there may even be a minimum age limit of 25. This is often the case in some Texan hotels.
Booking with a Credit Card
Another reason why many hotels in Texas have a minimum age of 18 to make a booking is that the reservation requires submitting credit card details, something that those under 18s don’t have access to.
Those under 21 might just have to wait a few more years before traveling to the state.
Renting a Car
If you’re over 18 but under 25 and are taking a break in Texas, you might not have too many issues booking the room, but you are likely to come up against restrictions if you wanted to hire a car.
Most car hire companies require the renter to be at least 25 years old. It is possible to rent one under this age, but it often comes with a hefty price tag.
How does Texas compare with the rest of the world when it comes to booking a hotel room?
The US is aligned with Canada in that you also have to be 18 to book a hotel room there.
However, in some countries such as the UK and Ireland, it is possible to book a hotel room from the age of 16!
Are there any ways around a minimum age restriction in Texas hotels?
Sadly, no, not really. If you’re under a hotel’s minimum age requirements, then unfortunately, it’s not really possible to bypass the rule.
You could try getting someone else to book the room for you, but when you check in, the hotel staff are likely to ask for your ID. If it doesn’t meet their age requirements, they won’t let you stay.
We can’t all be Kevin McAllister in Home Alone 2 – Lost in New York either and think of crafty ways to fool the front desk! It’s best just not to try in the first place and wait until you meet the age requirements.
What should you know about age restrictions when booking a hotel in Texas?
If you’re looking to stay at a hotel in Texas, the best way of finding out the minimum age requirements is to look at the terms and conditions on the hotel website.
Sadly nearly all hotels have a minimum age of 21 to book a room.
But, if you’re under 18, have a look at these hotels in some of the state’s major cities.
El Paso
- Red Roof in
- Motel-6
- Hampton Inn
Austin:
- Hyatt House Austin/Downtown
- Hilton Austin
San Antonio:
- La Quinta Inn
- DoubleTree by Hilton
- Comfort Suites
Houston
- Marriott Marquis
- Best Western Plus Heritage Inn
- Days Inn
- Club Quarters Hotel
Dallas
- Hyatt Regency
- Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre
- Le Meridien Dallas
- DoubleTree by Hilton
What if you’re under 18?
If you’re under 18, you might struggle to stay in a hotel in Texas. However, there are alternatives! Why not try a youth hostel or an Airbnb?
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to stay in Texas and you’re worried about age requirements, the best thing to do is find a hotel that you’d like to stay at and enquire as to their policy.
You may well find many hotels have their minimum age on their websites but for others, you may need to send an email or give them a call. Whatever you do, don’t just turn up aged 16 and expect them to let you stay. Chances are, they probably won’t!
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