ON THE SPOT

This girl didn't go to India by herself - she went in the company of her father. That's a lot different than doing it alone. If I were a hotel owner, there is no way that I would rent to a teen girl travelling alone. I'd be thinking of the potential lawsuit should something go wrong. I can't imagine a scenario in which the parent wouldn't accompany her to college.

Traveler @ 6:34 AM PDT, Aug 13, 2008

I would not recommend a 17 year old girl travel and stay by herself in a hotel. She should be accompanied by a parent. I am 48 now, and I've had a few incidents way over the age of 18, where men start talking to me or follow from afar. Rule: As a woman traveling alone, NEVER tell a strange person where you are staying.

Carol @ 11:19 AM PDT, Aug 12, 2008

And the parent said she was about to go "back" to college, implying she had been away at college before. If she's already been away from home as a residential college student, she's savvy enough to know how to handle herself.

Mike2 @ 9:00 PM PDT, Aug 11, 2008

The advice offered is ridiculous. "Psychosocial change"? “Susceptible to stress and anxiety"? This was about a college student staying in a hotel for a couple of nights, not about her camping on Skid Row. The questioner wants to know how hotels’ age restrictions work, not whether third parties deem such stays morally/socially appropriate. I don't know how she's more at risk to "wolves all around" than she would be in most student milieus; it's not as if she plans to lounge at the hotel bar or stand curbside at the hotel in high heels and a short skirt.

Mike @ 9:00 PM PDT, Aug 11, 2008

No way a 17-year-old girl should stay in a hotel by herself. If Dad can't go, he should pay for a reliable friend (18+) to accompany her. It's not about the girl's experience, or the unenforceable contract; it's about the wolves.

Marty @ 8:36 PM PDT, Aug 11, 2008

Anyone who is legally capable of entering into a contract should be allowed to rent a room from a hotel. If this means 18 and up, then so be it. I guess it should include those emancipated as well.

Beemish @ 2:43 PM PDT, Aug 11, 2008

If the kid got through India, I've no doubt she can handle a hotel room. "It's not the same as leaving her at home on a Saturday night," said Tammy Gold, a psychotherapist and founder of Gold Parent Coaching, in New Jersey. "This is a . . . gigantic psychosocial change. With no one else close to her . . . all of these changes could throw her off and could make her susceptible to stress or anxiety."

Jeff @ 2:18 PM PDT, Aug 11, 2008

Why doesn't the parent just travel with the kid? Your child is leaving for college and you can't take a couple of days and accompany her? I wouldn't want my 17 traveling by herself to college.

Tania @ 1:00 PM PDT, Aug 11, 2008

We live in Southern California and my son attends Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. To get there he flies into Logan Airport in Boston, then the Dartmouth Coach for a 2 1/2 hour bus ride. The flights have not always coincided with the dorms normal registration. He has always been able to request (never denied) for early arrival from the Office of Residentional Living. They understand that with many students coming from other countries and across the US they need to be flexible. Remember you don't get what you don't ask for.

West Coast Mom, East Coast Student @ 8:47 PM PDT, Aug 10, 2008

Many hotels will accept "letters of authorization" from an adult, with a credit card authorization or deposit, in advance, or may even have a specific form to complete. Either ensures that the signing adult is fully responsible for all charges. I would feel far more comfortable with my child in a secure, established hotel rather than the home of a stranger, even one in my faith. I would recommend speaking directly to the Hotel Front Desk Manager, explaining the situation. This can be done.

Garth Steever @ 9:30 AM PDT, Aug 10, 2008