Tips and Tricks for a Hotel Stay With Kids

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Do you have a long hotel stay with kids coming up? Kidding Around Contributor Melanie Coblentz recently had a long hotel stay with her family. She’s come up with some tips and tricks to survive and even enjoy a long hotel stay and she’s sharing them here with all our readers.

Our family recently had to spend six weeks in a hotel while repairs were done to our home. I feel like this gave me insight as to how to survive in a hotel with two young children for any amount of time.

Staying in a place that is not home can be an exciting and stress filled time for children and adults alike. We would all love if our children were sunshine and rainbows all the time. However, that’s just not the case. 

If I was able to survive 42 consecutive days in a hotel with my kids, hopefully these tips will help your family with your next hotel stay as well.

Suites

Whenever possible, we try and book a larger room. It’s not always possible, and that’s ok. It just helps everyone’s stress level if you don’t feel like you are on top of each other. Space to spread out and play really goes a long way, especially if your hotel stay is going to be lengthy.

Plus, suites usually include a few extra appliances that will help when it comes to the next tip.

Snacks & Meals

No one is happy if they’re hungry. Keeping snacks handy, can go a long way in keeping everyone  happy. We were fortunate, in that we had a kitchenette in our suite so I was able to prepare full meals for our family. Not to worry, if that is not available in your room. Goldfish crackers, shelf stable pudding cups and other snacks will help when the kids get hangry and it’s not meal time yet.

Shelf stable milk boxes like Horizon Organic, are a life saver. They don’t need to be refrigerated and come in handy for breakfast or anytime. I try and bring these when ever we stay away from home.

Some hotels offer complimentary snacks in the lobby during the day, this was a treat the kids looked forward to daily. It also introduced them to fruit infused water which was available along with the cookies and a huge hit!

Our hotel also offered nightly meal receptions most of the week and breakfast every morning, which meant I didn’t have to worry about preparing a meal or us eating out. This was a huge value, that was included in the room price.

Introductions

I think introducing your children to the hotel staff as you meet them can go a long way in making everyone’s stay easier. That way the kids are familiar with the people they will be seeing on a daily basis.

Glowsticks

Sounds silly, I know. But think about it, when have you ever not seen a kid happy when you hand them a glow stick? I can’t begin to tell you how many times they came in handy.

Afraid of the dark? Here’s a glow stick.

Your little sister is crying? Here’s some glow sticks for you and for her.

Bored? Here’s a glow stick.

So many solutions, for just $1 a dozen.

Pets

If your bringing your family pet, that can help keep the kids entertained. We didn’t, but we did gain a new family member. My son chose a betta fish to keep him company in the hotel, and it really did help having a new friend to care for.

Swimming

Unfortunately, our hotel only had an outdoor pool and it was a colder time of year. However, I know swimming can be a welcome respite from a hotel room when available. Plus it helps tire out the kids, so parents can get some rest.

Hotel Lobby Activities

The more places you have to go when not in the room the better. Our hotels dining area also had several games set out for guests to enjoy. My son looked forward to stealing some time away with my husband or I, to go downstairs and play one of the games. We looked forward to it too.

I hope these tips help your family the next time you find your self in a “home away from home”.

Do you have a tip or trick for staying happy in a hotel with your kids? We’d love to hear it in the comments.

About the Author
Melanie is a native New Yorker, who landed in the Upstate by way of Florida. She is the mom of two awesome kids, and the three of them love going on adventures!

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