Per Person Pricing

[Black_Fly]

Took the, wife, son, daughter-in-law m, and two grandkids to BWCA in 2017, staying in a cabin that charged by the person for a 3 bedroom cabin. My daughter-in-law (who knows everything) took exception to the arrangements and insisted this was not normal in resort areas (they live on the coast of S.C.). What is your experience? Is it simply a negotiable thing or should I just be thankful to find a vacancy when and where I want to stay?

 

[LanceR]

Your DIL's opinion on "normal" is immaterial. No matter what they are the circumstance at that time and place were "normal".

While noting that I know next to nothing about the BWCA I can't remember hearing of a similar billing arrangement on land but have seen similar pricing on cruise ship cabins based on occupancy. I doubt there is anything to negotiate and no doubt they feel that have good enough reasons for the cost structure. It is unlikely that they would abandon their business model simply because a potential customer asks them to. Unless you have other options when and where you want to go I'd say you need to roll with the flow....

Best regards to all,


Lance

 

[snapper]

It's been a while but the one and only time my family rented a cabin in the BWCA we rented a cabin appropriate for a range of people. The number of occupants didn't effect the pricing structure. The rental price for the cabin was X and we paid X. It was that simple.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[PaddlingPitt]

In my experience, per person pricing is certainly not “the norm.” That doesn’t make it wrong, though. It’s their business, and they can run it like they want. If people are unhappy, they can express their displeasure by heading on down the road.

Kathleen (she would be “The Wife”) and I are heading back to the Barren Grounds, in the Northwest Territories, for a two-week canoeing trip this summer. We fly into Whitefish Lake, and will be picked up on Lynx Lake. Along the way, we pass near the Lynx Tundra Lodge, a fly-in fishing resort. I emailed the owner and asked him if he would consider renting a cabin to canoeists. He said, “Sure. $100.00 per night per person.” Similarly, there is a fly-in fishing resort, the Trophy Lodge, at the east end of Great Slave Lake. They will rent cabins to paddlers at $450.00 per night per person. So, there you have it. It is what it is. Take it or paddle away.

Note: quoted prices are in Canadian dollars.

 

[Odyssey]

We've rented everything from apartments to farmhouses, cottages to beach houses, and the odd hotel/motel room or two (some were indeed odd), but never a "cabin", and in all this time have never paid per person prices. We have paid for extra persons, they having been additional to the norm of sleeping arrangements, requiring an extra cot or 2... But this is immaterial. Whatever the owner says goes. Perhaps they've seen too many renters cram in crowds to avoid paying for more cabins, filling the floors with freebie freeloaders in a "cabin that sleeps 4". Ahem. We've done it. In a Paris apartment we rented for just us two we invited a daughter and bff to stay over for a few nights. There was a pullout couch, so didn't feel guilty in the least. And there have been hotel rooms with two king size beds for just us two(?!) Might as well bring the grandkids in with us for the one roadtrip night. Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and kept grandpa up all night. And my wife and I did sleep on the couch of an OBX beach house for two nights. Didn't mind at all. That allowed a brother and sil to stay over on a surprise visit to the seashore. The more the merrier, and I doubt we inconvenienced the owners. But we'd never think of arguing with the owners had they felt that way. Thay are the owners after all. It is "their stuff". And I assume they have rules, and the rules may not be just to make more money. The rules are usually no surprise, being out there and upfront at the time of initial arrangements. That would be the time to pose queries and suggestions, and the final decisions made to take it or leave it. Hope you had a good vacation BTW.

 

[Black_Fly]

Ok, so I checked some other operations in the area and the DIL may have a point. The two I checked and was familiar with for other services had pricing based on 4 or 5 people for the same size cabins, not double occupancy + addnl heads. The extra 10 minutes drive to tow landing is minimal. I like the outfitter we used, but I think I'll ask for better pricing or head down the road, at least for pre-trip lodging. Live and learn, I reckon.