Children in a Motel Room
QUESTION 68: CHILDREN IN A MOTEL ROOM
Many, but perhaps not all, motels allow a maximum of four children with
their parents in a room. Once when I was making a reservation for a motel,
they asked me if there were any children staying with us, and I said there
would be four children in our room. At the last minute, a fifth child
wanted to come. When I arrived at the motel, am I obligated to say we have
five children with us, even though this motel never explicitly told me that
four children in a room is their limit? If I tell them about the fifth
child, I run the risk that I might be talking to an employee who knows that
I can't find another motel at this late time, and could use this as an
excuse to make me take a second room.
RABBI BELSKY
You are not obligated to ask them about their rules regarding how many
children are allowed in a room. But you are obligated to tell them that
you have five children with you, because you previously told them that you
have four with you. so when you arrive, just say, "A fifth child decided
to join us."
QUESTIONER
If I didn't mention this, would it be a question of lying, or gezel
(stealing), or both?
RABBI BELSKY
You told them previously, in response to their question, that you had four
children, and now you're bringing in five children. You purchased the
right to use their property - their motel room - to be used with four
children. You never received reshus (permission) for the right to use
their property with five children. You paid for four, and now you want
something from the motel that you didn't purchase - the right to use it
with it with five. I think this would fall under the category of
mishtamesh mi'she'eino shelo (using something that doesn't belong to you).
NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION 69: WARRANTY ON PHONE THAT FELL INTO BATHTUB
The warranty for a telephone I once bought says that the phone is
guaranteed for normal use. If my child threw the phone into the
bathtub and the phone stopped working, can I return it anyway,
without telling them how it broke?
Participate in the Honesty Forum, and discuss the issues we confront in this class!
Subscribe to Honesty and receive this class via e-
mail.
