Why do you have to be 18 to rent a hotel room?

I was just in austin texas and got into a tight spot so i was walking around town looking for a hotel room, im 16. no hotel in town would rent me a room even though i had my mom on the phone with a credit card ready to book it. they would have rather had me sleep on the streets to protect there policy? is that right?


ended up spending the night at the airport but stillWhy do you have to be 18 to rent a hotel room?
Minimum age requirements vary by hotel brand and area, but you must be AT LEAST 18 to rent a room. This is because at 18 you are legally able to enter into a contract, like the rental contract you will be asked to agree to at check-in at a hotel. Most hotels have a minimum age requirement of 21 because that is the legal drinking age. I would definitely call the hotel before you plan to stay to ensure that you will be able to check-in. Also, many websites like Priceline, Travelweb, Travelocity, and Expedia, will express a minimum age on their websites...if you don't follow that you stand to lose any pre-payment that you made online. Here are some websites I would recommend checking out BEFORE you travel underage...





http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr鈥?/a>


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1鈥?/a>


http://explorehoward.com/news/6031438/fe鈥?/a>


http://www.why21.org/parents/questions.h鈥?/a>


http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/guide/cr鈥?/a>Why do you have to be 18 to rent a hotel room?
Just a guess but I would think its because you have to be 18 to sign a contract and signing for the room would be a contract. It also might be a liability issue for the hotel.