What makes a hotel “family friendly?”
When choosing a hotel the amenities that mattered to me were simple. Location, price and rating were what determined whether or not if I would choose to book a room. A posh and chic hotel located downtown was always on my wish list. But due to recent events in my life, priorities have changed. The transition from couple to family has changed my perspective on vacations and traveling and what’s important when I am choosing a hotel.
So what exactly makes a family friendly hotel? Is it just offering cribs and free breakfast to children under 12? Perhaps it’s more. Perhaps it involves the overall attitude of the hotel. There are definitely hotels built for romantic getaways or hotels that are built to be five star extravagances catering to the rich and famous. Maybe family friendly hotels are built from the ground up with an attitude of fun and adventure. Maybe it’s more than just a checklist of a few amenities.
Look at the Nickelodeon Family Suites; it screams family friendly (although no one wants to be slimed upon check in). It boasts a huge water park, a kid’s spa, a mall and 4-D experience. I still think there is a difference between being kid friendly and family friendly because I think the thought of staying at this hotel would give some parents a headache, while others would probably love it. Maybe family friendly hotels have something for everyone, a place for the kids to have fun with a lounge for the parents to relax in.
I don’t think a hotel doesn’t have to be quite this extreme to be considered a family friendly hotel. I think some simple things can be done as well. An example could be if a family has reserved a crib having it set up for them when they arrive in case they get in late, having foods in the continental breakfast that would appeal to younger folks, extra towels, etc. But really it’s the attitude and the combination of these amenities that the hotel takes on that I think makes the difference.
This year I plan to explore this concept and seek out hotels that claim to be family friendly and report my findings here. However, till then I’d love to hear your thoughts or hear of places you have stayed that you thought fit the bill and why.
*picture courtesy of www.nickhotel.com
November 19th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
when traveling w/our kids, one of the things we insist on in a hotel is separate sleeping areas: the 3 kids all share a bedroom, and my husband and I have a bedroom to ourselves; nobody’s out on a sofa or anything out in the common area. since our kids are still young enough that staying up way past their normal bedtime usually results in problems (if not gradual but then rapidly accelerating meltdown right then, then punchiness/orneriness/other behaviour issues the next day), we like to make sure they can go to bed at a relatively reasonable hour. however, since that doesn’t mean DH and I want to retire for the night at the same time the kids do, 2-bedroom mini-suites have become a vacay mainstay for our family.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:25 pm
With our baby just 16 months old, we’re still exploring just what it means to us for a hotel to be “family-friendly,” too.
Prior to baby, we typically opted for small inns or budget B&Bs. We still do, but it didn’t occur to me before how so many of these option just don’t allow kids at all.
When I’m looking for lodging now, I try to determine if a place is going to be welcoming to kids or simply tolerant of kids. Welcoming is obviously more desirable. We already stayed at a B&B that allowed children but it was clear from the moment we arrived that the other guests didn’t know that! We got very surprised looks when we walked in with our little baby, as much to say “um… is that thing going to cry all night and keep us up?” Awkward!
Truthfully, I understand that point of view. I was there myself not so long ago! So if a place doesn’t specify “family friendly,” I ask.