Having kids changes everything in life, and that includes travel. I thought I was an expert on navigating airlines and hotels before we had kids, and then suddenly I felt like a complete newbie. The concept of just rolling up to the airport 45 minutes before departure with a carry-on and relaxing (or typing furiously) for most of the flight is no longer a thing.
In this post, I’d like to talk a bit about how my perspective on hotels has changed over the years, especially as our older son, Miles, is a few months short of being four years old, which is a pretty great (but exhausting) age.
For parents, happy kids make a great hotel stay
When you don’t have kids, there are so many aspects of the hotel experience you (understandably) might not even think about, from family pools, to play rooms and kids clubs, to special amenities that make kids happy. For that matter, if you aren’t traveling with kids, a hotel being too kid friendly might even be off-putting, since most couples don’t want to vacation while surrounded by screaming kids.
When our oldest son was still under two years old, I can’t say that I really put that much thought into how accommodating hotels were of kids. You want a hotel that has the basics and doesn’t make you feel out of place, but our son was still most interested in trying to play with outlets and light switches, rather than any things intended for kids.
However, our older son has really turned a corner — he now talks to us nonstop, asks us about everything, and wants to do things other than trying to stick his fingers in outlets (thank goodness!). Going along with that, I’m realizing that my impression of hotel stays is increasingly shaped by his impression of hotel stays:
- Miles is overjoyed when there’s a welcome amenity for him, or a “surprise,” as he calls it; before we even get to the hotel, he asks “are they going to have a surprise for me?”
- A great kids club is absolutely awesome; he’s not quite at the age where he can (or even wants to) hang out in a kids club without a parent, but I’ve probably spent 20 hours over the past week playing with him in kids clubs, and it sure makes things easier for me
- An amazing, kids-friendly pool is useful; if a hotel has a pool that’s fun, with lots of toys, a waterslide, waterfalls, a lazy river, etc., he’s so excited by that, and can spend hours playing
- While I’m not at all a bathtub person, a nice bathtub is something he values for his nightly bath, as he can easily spend 30 minutes in there playing and using his imagination
I say all of this because the entire trip we’ve had incredible, kid friendly hotels, and then last night we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Geneva, and it was hilarious to hear Miles’ honest take. I realize he’s a really lucky guy, but kids his age are so unfiltered:
- There was no welcome amenity for him in the room, and he said “I’m sad, there’s no surprise for me”
- The hotel has what’s called a “kids corner,” which I took him to, but as soon as he arrived, he said “papa, this isn’t a kids club”
- “Papa, why does the hotel not have a pool?”
We just had a quick overnight, so none of this was a big deal, but it made me realize how much these little things are noticed by kids, and how useful they are in terms of keeping kids occupied.
Let me acknowledge that the world doesn’t exclusively revolve around kids, and it’s important for hotels to strike the right balance, so that any experience that’s friendly toward kids doesn’t diminish the experience for adults.
There are hotels that are ostensibly kid friendly, but where you feel like you’re aggravating the non-families with your presence, because areas targeted at different groups aren’t spread out enough. So while it’s great to have one large resort pool, it’s even better to have separate pools for adults and families, so you aren’t made to feel bad when your kid is having fun.
I totally get when couples spend a fortunate for hotels and are then frustrated by the presence of families due to space not being properly spread out. At the same time, you can’t blame families either.
The way I research hotels has also changed
I think we all do some research before booking hotels, and I’ve definitely noticed a change in my hotel decision making process based on whether I’m traveling alone or as a couple, or with one or two kids.
For example, personally pools have very little appeal to me if I’m not traveling with our older son, while they are basically a necessity when I travel with him. Nowadays I scour hotel websites looking for pictures of the kids clubs, the pools, etc.
Miles isn’t old enough to swim alone, and he wants to stay in pools forever, so that’s kind of exhausting for me. I’m always on the lookout for hotels with little “splash areas” for kids, where he can just take a bucket and play endlessly by himself, since it gives me a little break.
Bottom line
I don’t think this should come as a huge surprise, but perception of hotels is very different based on whether you’re traveling just as adults, or with kids. It’s a good reminder of how we can all come away from hotel stays with very different impressions, based on what we’re looking for.
Before I became a parent, I didn’t fully realize the extent to which hotel features for kids can make or break a hotel stay. Unhappy kids equal unhappy parents. It’s just an aspect of the hospitality industry I never fully appreciated before I had kids.
To fellow parents, how has your hotel selection process and perception of properties changed since having kids?