Last Updated on November 22, 2021
It depends.
When you are 18 you can get a hotel room, but you can’t get a room at every hotel.
Some hotels allow 18-year-olds to stay but 21 is a much more common check-in age limit.
There is no fixed minimum age requirement, under 18 check-in is extremely rare and something you usually only see at hostels, 18 plus hotels can be found, 21 plus is most common.
Let’s try to see where you can find hotels that allow guests from age 18 plus.
Hotels That Allow 18 Year Olds To Check In
The minimum age requirements are set by individual hotels. There are no state laws setting what age you can book a hotel room.
Hotel chains might have a general policy but adjust it for individual hotels.
If a hotel has had problems with younger guests in the past then they may simply raise their age limit.
Locations where people party tend to have higher age requirements. So New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Miami Beach, and other party destinations are more likely to be 21 and over.
Yes, it’s discrimination against young people, but that’s the way it is.
Marriott Hotels
There were 328 Marriott hotels and resorts in the US at the time of writing. Around 20% of those are available for 18-year-old guests to book. The remaining 80% require guests to be 21 or older.
Motel 6
There are roughly 1400 Motel 6 locations across the US and Canada. About 85% of these motels allow 18-year-olds to check-in.
Best Western
There are about 2000 Best Western hotels in the United States. Around one-third of them allow 18-year-olds to book a room. The remaining two-thirds have an age limit of 21.
Holiday Inn
There are around 575 Holiday Inn locations across the US. Less than 10% of them allow guests aged 18 to book rooms.
Holiday Inn Express
Closer to 20% of Holiday Inn Express locations allow 18-year-olds to book a room.
Hilton
There are almost 300 Hilton hotels across the United States. About 20% of them have a minimum check-in age of 18 plus.
Hyatt
There are 777 Hyatt hotels in the United States. Around one-third of them accept guests 18 years old and older.
Sheraton
There are currently 169 Sheraton hotels in the US. 13% of them allow guests under the age of 21 to check-in. The rest of them require you to be over 21.
Comfort Inn
Around 25% of Comfort Inn hotels accept young guests under the age of 21.
The Verdict
I’d estimate that around 80% of hotels have a check-in age of 21 and older. 21 is verging on the standard age limit, but you can find hotel rooms for 18-year-olds to book if you look hard enough.