In Arizona you must have a valid government issued ID to book a room.

[county worker]

Is that also a requirement in other states? I am traveling to Arizona and I don't see why a motel or hotel needs to see a valid government issued ID. What difference does it make if I can afford the room. Isn't this intrusion that the Tea Party should rally against? I'll bet it is a Tea Party idea. Get the government off our backs and put it on undocumented persons' backs.

[snooper2]

1. I've always shown an Id for 17 years of travel for work...

I'd probably do the same thing..

You get up there, trash the fucking room, I want to know you are who you say you are...


Also, some hotels don't rent to locals, for that very reason. Oh, I see you live down off Park, 15 minutes away. What you need a room for, and why are you pulling two kegs behind you? :rofl:

[formernaderite]

8. every hotel or motel in the last 20 years

has asked me for ID.... even when I've paid cash. Motels will often ask for my car plates... Just be thankful this isn't Europe, where everyone has to carry ID... and can be stopped at any time by a cop and asked for it.

[Brickbat]

2. I can't remember showing an ID to rent a room in the past year.

[MineralMan]

3. Is that a state law, or is it hotel policy?

It makes a difference.

[dipsydoodle]

4. So what do al qaeda travelling on passports do ?

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

5. A passport is a government issued ID.

When traveling in Europe, you'll be showing your passport at your hotels. :shrug:

[dipsydoodle]

7. Guess you're right

I'd read it as meaning US Gov issued as opposed to any Gov.

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. Even foreign passports require a validation by the US when they come

into the country (not that your typical Motel 6 clerk knows to look for the US stamp in a foreign passport).

[gateley]

6. I used to work the front desk of a hotel in the 80's and we

never asked for ID.

I bet you're right about the Tea Party idea.

[Loudmxr]

9. Really. Just show up with cash and you can get a room at a South Asian motel.

[hunter]

17. They'll also watch you like a hawk...

... and if you trash the place your next motel will be a South Asian jail.

Here they just copy your identification 'cause it's too expensive to hire little old ladies with brooms and feather dusters to patrol the hallways, and illegal to hire kids to peak through the window shutters that don't quite close all the way.

[Broderick]

10. I can't recall ever renting a room anywhere where

I didn't have to show ID.

[MineralMan]

12. I've been asked for ID in many hotels. Usually, they want to see

it when you present your credit card. That makes sense. They want to see if you're the person whose name is on the credit card. I've never considered it a violation of my privacy. I'm often asked to show ID when I use a credit card, and I'm glad to be asked. It means that place of business is paying attention to who is presenting a credit card.

I have my Minnesota Driver's Licence in my wallet. I show it at the liquor store. I show it when asked. It is who I am, and I don't mind proving who I am. On the rare occasion that I'm stopped by the police, I have my DL and my proof of insurance (which is right behind my DL in my wallet) in hand when the cop reaches my car. I don't see the actual problem, personally, although I understand the concept.

[Broderick]

13. I have rented rooms paying cash,

and I always get asked for my id. I was thinking back, scouring my mind history, to remember a time when I haven't been asked for an ID. Can't recall one.

[MineralMan]

14. I suppose that could be. I can't remember paying for a hotel room

in cash for a very, very long time. I used to, back in the 1960s, when credit cards weren't such a common thing, but not for a long time. I'm just not bothered by showing ID when doing some sort of business with someone.

[Broderick]

15. Never really thought about it to be honest

Just do it when asked, regardless of the circumstance. I don't get asked as much for ID when using a credit card anywhere anymore. Most of the time, you just swipe it and the person ringing you up never touches the card. That is new I guess for most transactions. As far as hotels, just seems like the normal thing getting asked for an ID when checking in. I have been in various states across the country and it's the same experience.

[Horse with no Name]

11. Not to book it, to rent it--yes...but this is an anti-immigrant law

designed to prevent "the illegals" from stealing motel rooms from the Murrikans.:rofl:

Cause we all KNOW everyone is dying to go to Arizona!

[Generic Other]

16. I figured they asked for ID so they can call the cops if you steal the towels

or skip out on the bill. Defrauding an innkeeper is a big deal.

[TlalocW]

19. Always showed ID...

Also, most ask for the make/model of your car and license plate number.

TlalocW

[sufrommich]

20. I've never checked into a hotel without having to show a

drivers license in any state I've been to.

[LadyInAZ]

21. Yes they are required

i have found living in az that they charge you for everything separate. in case there is damages they can charge you for it. so they require you to have an id. some places like gas stations require it if you purchase certain items like a cigarette lighter... they want to put a name to a lighter found at the scene... the rules here are different. but I'm not sure if its a state rule or not... i know most of them do.

[saras]

22. Nope - never encountered it unless paying with credit cards

Ask 'em how celebrities who don't give out their real names do it in that state.

[distantearlywarning]

23. I don't think I've ever checked into a hotel room without an ID

That was true for me pre-911 also.

If I wrecked the hotel room or something, they would probably want to know who I actually was so they could collect damages (just for example).

[TransitJohn]

24. Will you be travelling with a cell phone?

If so, what does it matter?

[NeedleCast]

25. Yes, it's normal nation wide

The hotel has a right to make sure the person checking into a room is actually the person who the reservation is being held for. In my many years of frequent business travel, there have been occasions when I have not been asked for ID, but they are rare, and likely just an oversight by the front desk person checking me in.

[TriMera]

26. I've worked in hotels for 20 years. Every hotel that I have

worked for has required ID at check in. It is policy at most hotels and it is for security purposes. Simply put, they want to know who is checked into their rooms. If someone shows up at the front desk and requests a key to your room, they want to be able to make sure that it is the legal occupant of the room. If there is damage to the room, the hotel wants to be able to hold the occupant responsible. It is also sometimes used in cooperation with local law enforcement and is sometimes required by city or county ordinance. So, as you can see, there are many reasons to ask for ID.