Getting a hotel room for a convention can be one of the biggest expenses (aside from airfare perhaps) you’ll incur. However, one of the easiest ways to cut down on the often enormous cost is to share the hotel room with other people. Sometimes you get lucky and can split the room with friends. Sometimes you may be forced to take in someone who is, essentially, a stranger. As someone who has shared many hotel rooms at cons before, I’m here to share with you some ways to make sure sharing your hotel room ends up being a positive experience, and not something you regret.

Scenario: You have a few people you know also attending the convention. How do you decide if it would be a good idea to share the room with them?

First things first, you need to ask yourself if you can really trust this person to pay you their share of the hotel. Nothing causes friendship woes faster than money disputes. Have they had a lot of money trouble? Do they have a steady job? Do they still owe you for that meal you spotted them for two weeks ago? You may be inclined to let them in on the room simply because they’re your friend, but with (potentially) a lot of money at stake, you don’t want to have to worry about them not coughing up their half when it’s all said and done.

There’s one other big thing to consider here: personal habits. Do they bathe regularly? Do they snore? Are they really loud? Do you care?

The last thing you want is to be unable to sleep all weekend due to crazy antics, and/or get stuck with an unexpected bill at the last minute. Don’t think it can’t happen to you.

If you’ve finally made the decision to split the room with friends, I have some suggestions for making it easier on everyone involved (but mainly easier for you).