The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: August twenty-third, saying the price of your hotel room may depend on your age. 

"Kids stay free." That's a familiar claim in hotel and motel ads, but what does it really mean? The obvious implication is that there's no extra charge, as long as the kids stay in the same room as their parents. But who qualifies as a kid? Most big chains set upper age limits for their kids-stay-free policy. Holiday Inn has the lowest, at 12. At Marriott and Sheraton, it's 17, and 18 at Westin. Hilton has the most liberal policy, with no age- limit at all on its family programs. Mom and dad can be 75 and the kids 48 and 40, it's fine with Hilton. 

At the same time, most hotels also have age limits on how young a guest can be to stay without an accompanying adult. That age limit may be as high as 21. If you're younger than that, they may not rent you a room.

U.S. anti-discrimination laws do dictate that no one can be refused a room solely on the basis of factors like age. But the final decision usually belongs to the hotel's manager, especially if there's reason to believe the underage guest may do something improper or unlawful.

Not surprisingly, the locations with the most stringent minimum-age rules tend to be near colleges and universities or popular Spring Break resorts. So if you're under 21 and plan to rent a room, ask about the age policy when you make reservations. If necessary, you can get a parent or employer to vouch for you.

But if you wait until you try and check into the hotel, you may discover that you won't be able to get a room, at any price.

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