When you hear the term "double bed" what comes to mind?

[Mr Hero]

1. A room with 2 beds
2. A room with 1 bed for 2 people

Well, anyone who has ever asked for a double bed at my hotel has meant option 2, so that's the interpretation ingrained in my head. But this bitch wanted a room with 2 beds. Something we do not have tonight. Had she worded it just a little different, I could have saved her some trouble by telling her we were completely sold out of rooms with 2 beds.

And yet she comes down and demands compensation. Because even though she's paying for it, she has to sleep on the floor. Nuh-uh. Why is it my problem she was assigned to sleep on the floor? I told her I could either refund her stay and she could find another hotel to stay at, or she could keep the room she's in. She didn't like either option and called me a "fucking idiot."

Me: You do not swear at me.
SC: I did not swear at you.
Me. Yes you did. Calling me a "fucking idiot" is swearing at me.

Finally the bitch asks for a blanket. I hand it to her and she asks for my name. So that means I'm going to get bitched at by my manager some time tomorrow. Any bets when the text comes in?

[HotelMinion]

I have to admit, before I started working at hotels, I thought 'double bed' referred to 1. Now i know that it's referring to the size. Double Double beds mean 2 double beds. Also very confusing. But not now. This was when I thought there was only King, Queen, and Twin for bed sizes. Now there's Double and California King.
Yeah some people are ignorant. :\ Then some learn.

[sirwired]

Huh... I would pick number 1 in a heartbeat.

Double, in my mind, always refers to the mattress size (it's an older name for a "Full" size mattress), and in my experience, a room with a Double always has two of them, because it is on the cozy side for two people (especially those used to sleeping in a Queen or King.)

If I wanted two beds, however, I'd just say "I need two beds", as most hotels nowadays put Queen beds in their "Double" rooms, as Double mattresses are on the short side. (My first bed as an adult was an Extra-Length Double (Double head/footboard, Queen side rails) from my parents. Buying a mattress for it was all sorts of delightful fun... I think it took three months for my special-order mattress to come in.)

I think that originally, when houses were smaller, a Double was indeed designed to sleep two people (and two people will fit, as I can personally attest), but now that houses are bigger, two people virtually always pick a Queen or King, and the Double has been renamed "Full".

[Gilhelmi]

Yea, I admit I did not know that. I voted before I read the OP (I wanted to be surprised). So I learned something new. (and useful for the Con trips me and a couple of guys are going on next year, good to know for booking.)

Thank you. (and good luck with your bosses tomorrow)

[Seanette]

Double, in my mind, always refers to the mattress size (it's an older name for a "Full" size mattress), and in my experience, a room with a Double always has two of them, because it is on they cozy side for two people (especially those used to sleeping in a Queen or King.)

I tend to think mattress size, too. DH and I spent quite a bit of our marriage so far sharing a double/full. Yes, two people will fit. Yes, it's a bit snug. We have upgraded to a queen.

[Terza]

Double refers to the size, like single. I would think the first option, wouldn't even consider the size of the bed tbh.

If you ask for a double room over here, you will get a room with one bed (either a double or bigger). If you want a room for two people to share two beds you ask for a twin room or a two bed room.

[Mr Hero]

I voted before I read the OP

That's how I prefer it actually. I don't want my post to influence the vote.

[bhskittykatt]

This is why I prefer to refer to "double" size beds as "full" size. People don't get confused by that (at least not usually).

[EricKei]

Doesn't "double bed" normally refer to something the size of two twins placed side-by-side? Or is that the same measurement as a Full (aside from "California" mattress sizing)?

[sirwired]

Doesn't "double bed" normally refer to something the size of two twins placed side-by-side? Or is that the same measurement as a Full (aside from "California" mattress sizing)?

A Double (a.k.a. "Full") is the length of a twin, but about 15 inches wider. It is much narrower than a Queen or King. I have no idea what it's supposed to be "Double" of... perhaps the name comes from the fact that it is (barely) big enough for two people. (vs. Twin beds, which, when used by adults, were always sold in pairs.)

Two twins is approx. the width of a King. (But you need to use extra-length twins to have the length of a King or Queen.)

[notalwaysright]

Yeah, voted for the second one. I think beds have gotten bigger. Two people can easily sleep on a full sized bed, IMO. I've slept in the same bed as someone and the bed was a twin. Anyway, if someone asked for a double bed, that is singular. If they asked for a double ROOM that would be plural.

[katzklaw]

i also voted before i read the OP. however, my first impression upon reading the title and before i actually viewed the poll was "a double is a full-sized mattress"

altho your story is reminding me of a time several years ago in another Big Yellow campground where someone put in their reservation notes that they needed a 'cot' for their cabin for the extra person. we gladly rolled one of our fold-up cots out there, only to find out when they arrived they were English, and for them a 'cot' was a 'crib' to us... queue frantic scrambling to find a crib for this guy (which was interesting, because this park is located on the beach, about an hour from *real* civilization..). desperately wanted to say "no FU" cuz he was acting like he sat on a corn cob and saying stupid crap like "you expect me to put my baby on the bed and have it roll off? will you pay the hospital bill when he splits his head open?" nope. i won't. i'm just a wage slave. thx drive thru, but not my say, not my money. the manager managed to find a decent looking folding crib and charged it to corporate.

all was not lost, tho. now the park has a spare crib if anyone else ever forgets their pack-and-play or something stupid like that. hooray?

[sirwired]

altho your story is reminding me of a time several years ago in another Big Yellow campground ...
all was not lost, tho. now the park has a spare crib if anyone else ever forgets their pack-and-play or something stupid like that. hooray?

Wow. I would have told Mr. Snotty to just go elsewhere if he was going to be so snippy about it. We have different words here sometimes, and if he wants to have a 'tude instead of just laughing it off due to cultural differences, he can find somewhere else to stay.

[wheeitsmee]

"A Double bed" Singular/1
"Double beds" Plural/2

If you're not sure...double check.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Wikipedia even has an article on mattress sizes.