Single vs. Double Room in Europe

[Phee]

When you are booking a hotel for you and your wife, can you just book a single room, or do you really have to book the double room? I know a lot of times in the states they will charge if you say you have extra people, but you can always get away without paying for it. Just wondering if anyone knows, since the price difference can often be pretty drastic.

[Palermo10]

We booked a double room in Dusseldorf for last week's friendly, and we got two double beds. Enough for 4 people. Its been confusing for me, trust. Perhaps you can email the hotel and ask how many beds there are.
For an apartment here that I booked, it lists a double bed, but its two singles in one bedroom. Damn Europeans!

[RichardL]

a single room will often just have a single bed an be a smaller room, but apart from that, as singles are cheaper than doubles, no hotel would let two people share a single room when a double is free.

Sometimes the single rate is just a reduced rate on a double, and clearly in that case they would not let two people share a room for the single occupant rate.

In theory it might be possible to persuade a hotel that only has single rooms left to let two people stay in it, but it might be against fire regulations or something like that.

[rickinva]

My wife and I have booked all double rooms for our 2 weeks stay. Based on what I read, that was the correct way to go, but I also asked for a king bed at each hotel. I really don't want to get 2 single beds in a double room. But in the end, I'll take whatever I can get, and am just happy to be going to Germany.

rick