Five Tips For Staying In A Hotel With Kids
When traveling with kids, every aspect of your trip brings unique challenges. This is especially true of staying in a hotel. Sharing a room with several kids can be a bit of a challenge, but with the tips below, you and your kids will have a great time during your hotel stay.
Choose a hotel in a safe location.
Safety is always important, but even more so when you have kids. If you rent a hotel in a less-desirable neighborhood, you may feel nervous every time someone knocks on the door, and you'll have to watch your kids more closely. So, before you rent a hotel, make sure it is in a nice, safe neighborhood with low crime rates. It does not need to be expensive or swanky -- just safe.
Look for amenities to entertain the kids.
Your kids will feel a lot less cooped up if you choose a hotel with amenities like a pool and perhaps even a game room. You can let the kids play and expend their energy for a few hours, and by the time bedtime rolls around, they'll be tired and ready to drift off to sleep, so they won't keep you up all night.
Ask for a rollaway bed.
Just because you can fit three kids in a queen-size bed does not mean you should. If just one wiggles around, they'll keep the others awake, and you'll be kept up all night, too! Ask the hotel if they have a rollaway bed you can rent for the night. Some hotels may charge you an extra $10 or $20 to borrow the bed, and others will provide it for free. This way, one kid can sleep in the spare bed, leaving everyone more space.
Bring some games.
With just a TV for entertainment, a hotel room can start to feel a little boring in the evening. To keep the kids entertained, make sure you bring some board games from home. You could also download a few new games for your kids to play on their smartphones during the hotel stay.
Have a "lights out" time.
Put everyone to bed at the same time, and turn the lights out. Don't let one kid stay up later watching TV or playing on their phone. They may keep the others awake. Once the lights are off, anyone who was not tired will have an easier time calming down and drifting off.