Question: I'm an undergraduate student that was offered a role researching for a grant. I was able to get authorship status on a paper and will be attending a conference for it later this year. The professor I am working for connected me with another student at a different university in order to share a hotel room. We will both be staying for the entire week and are responsible for booking our own reservations. Unfortunately, the centre the conference is located at is booked, with only a single-bed room available that we would be required to vacate on Wednesday then move back in.

This student was fine with booking the room and asked me if I was okay with it, but after I realized that it is a very small, dorm-like room with a small bed and no futon I counter-offered a reasonably-priced room at another hotel a half-mile away with two beds that we would not need to move out of midweek. I thought this would be well-received, however the student pushed back saying that the other room had a better price (of course, as it was intended for one person or a couple) and we would have better involvement with the conference (doubtful, as long as we show up on time).

Besides already being an incredibly poor sleeper, I'm otherwise just uncomfortable sharing a small bed with another student I don't know, and the room is small enough that I can't confidently say a hotel cot would fit. However, I also don't feel comfortable making this a bigger conflict than necessary, and I don't want to upset my professor by costing our grant more money than necessary by booking my own room at twice the cost. On the other hand, I do feel I have the right to request sleeping accommodations that I am comfortable with. How can I handle this appropriately without offending anyone?

Answer: 
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> The professor I am working for connected me with another student at a different university in order to share a hotel room.
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I think this is the key point. The professor, who is your supervisor and is in charge of the grant funds, is sending you to the conference, and *it is their responsibility to ensure you have safe, reasonable accommodations during the trip.* Their proposed solution involving shared accommodations with the student they connected you with might have seemed reasonable when they suggested it, but it is becoming clear that it isn’t. Certainly asking that you share a hotel bed or other uncomfortably close quarters with a complete stranger is way outside the norm in almost all areas of academia (the only exceptions I can think of being a few disciplines like archaeology, paleontology and such where hardy researchers sometimes go on field studies in very spartan environments), and not something you should be expected to accept as a condition for attending a conference.

The conclusion is simple. You should email the professor, explain that you have not been able to find an acceptable arrangement to share accommodations with the other student, and ask him to help you find an alternative solution involving an acceptable level of comfort and privacy. Such a request, if phrased politely, would be completely reasonable and professional, and I’m sure any half-decent professor would not be fazed by it or have any trouble addressing the problem.

Good luck, and have fun at the conference.
I do not know this person, but I would simply say it honestly. It's perfectly professional. Say something like "I understand that the room is a bit more expensive, but I would much rather find a room that accommodates two people and does not force us to share a bed. This room is the best I could find, but if you can find a similar one for a better price, send me a link."

This is a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to want, it places no obligation on you to pay a greater share, and it should not offend any person who is there in a professional capacity.