What makes a family-friendly hotel?
When I wrote about my family travel wishlist for holiday abroad last week, a lot of people commented that it’s the little things which make a hotel family-friendly.
And I completely agree. I don’t mean hotels which have a single highchair in the restaurant and announce they’re baby-friendly, but the ones where the staff have an extra smile for kids, where their enjoyment is just as important as adults – rather than treating them as small nuisances to be tolerated for the sake of their parents’ money.
So what do I think most parents really want?
A freebie
It’s great to find somewhere which has a discount for parents (especially compared to school holiday hikes). So when children under 16 stay free, and children under 12 eat breakfast and dinner free when accompanied by an adult? Yes pleas.
A lie-in
OK, no hotel can promise that (if they can, let me know!) but not having to rush with my daughter is always a winner. A late check-out, up to 6pm, is perfect if we want to explore the city for the day before heading home.
Decent WiFi
It’s 2016. So it astounds me how many hotels think that WiFi is either a huge luxury and charge £20 per day for it. Even worse, the ones which say there’s free WiFi but it’s only in one corner of the lobby if you stand on tiptoe.
Make it fast, make it in my room and make it free. Some of us have CBeebies to watch.
Should families avoid hotels with adults-only areas? And would you swap a hotel altogether for a villa holiday?
Image courtesy of Depositphotos
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It would definitely have to be a lie in for me. I LOVE a 12 noon check out – 10am check outs put me off! Most of the time we are away by that time anyway but it’s nice not to have to rush isn’t it.
Exactly – I would book a hotel that promised me a lie-in… But even if my early morning alarm clock has already woken me and announced she wants breakfast, it’s so nice not to rush around.
Wifi is a definite must for us! and when we stay away usually we pick places where the kids eat free… they don’t eat much anyway :p
I do like kids eat free too – I’m never quite sure what my daughter will want/have, so it’s nice not to spend a fortune when she announces the macaroni cheese is ‘too cheesy’ for example…
wifi is a must not sure I would stay without t ha and I agree a smile costs nothing yet means so much especially when the kids are not being little angels
Agree with everything on this list! Wifi is a must and a late checkout would be brilliant.
Wifi really is an essential now I think – when you get free hotspots across Europe/USA, I don’t see how hotels justify charging these days.
Wifi is a must although usually when I go on holiday I don’t use my phone or laptop but that will change from now on as I do have a blog to run!
I think I like the concept of unplugging more than the reality – even if I could switch off, I know the email deluge would be waiting.
I really don’t get that some hotels still don’t offer WiFi as standard these days. I’ve also found some that say they do but they don’t work and then they try to make you pay for a ‘premium’ service!
That’s even worse, I think…
Yes wifi for me and the teens, and at least Cbeebies on the TV for tot. Why is check out at 10am? So early isn’t it? Great post. Kaz x
Exactly – it always feels a bit frantic getting dressed, ready, packed and breakfasted sometimes. Thanks!
Wifi is a must! Also, lots of kid-centric food too. 🙂
That * definitely* helps.
For me a family friendly hotel means a room / interconnected room so we can all stay together – having 4 kids means we often have to get two rooms
Very good point – I definitely think that’s a good indicator, or whether hotels just cram a bed in a corner (even if fortunately my daughter and I can normally go in together anyway)
I definitely agree with free meals for kids Cathy, this is a huge benefit for parents. I also think it would be fabulous if hotels offered a morning creche service…. I would love to call ‘room service’ and have my boys picked up from our room at 6am and join them for breakfast at a respectable 10am! Any hotel that offered this service would be fully booked throughout the year;)
Oh I love that idea. I would absolutely book straight into that hotel!
Ha ha, we should go into business Cathy! We could be millionaires and heroes to parents throughout the UK!
Money and adulation? Works for me 😉
Oh I love finding hotels that are actually properly child friendly, I have a one and two year old and a teen so finding somewhere suitable for all three of them is a nightmare. I also really struggle finding rooms that can sleep five xx
Oh I can imagine that is really tough to balance – the good ones must be a godsend then.
The cost of WiFi in some hotels really does pee me off, as it it costs that much anyway and it is usually slower than 3G x
Exactly – it’s hardly an obscure specialist service these days…
I wish these type of things were available in all hotels when we travel with kids!
Absolutely!
Agree on all counts. Free kids’ places and food discounts certainly go a long way.
They really do help, don’t they, especially for larger families too.
This post was really helpful. Mummy to be but planning on keeping up the travels once our lovely son arrives 🙂
Tanya x
Thanks! I’m really glad it was helpful – and even more glad you’re still planning to travel when your son arrives to join you 🙂 There are some checklists for eg packing and other tips which will hopefully come in useful too.
Undoubtedly, Wifi is very important and essential in every hotel. I really can’t imagine that you have to pay an extra fee to use Wifi. Kinda feels like you have to pay an extra cost for the spoon to eat. That’s just ridiculous.
These days, I really think it is – if I could go all the way to Burma and get free wifi, I don’t know how hotels in western Europe can justify £15/20 per day. Love the spoon analogy.