Family Friendly Chicago Hotel Packages

Finding the right Chicago hotel for your family vacation can sometimes be difficult—the city’s properties offer a wealth of excellent options for those traveling with children. To help you narrow the choices, here’s a look at those hotels offering family-package deals.

Puttin’ on the Ritz

If luxury and convenience are key for your family’s city stay, consider the Ritz-Carlton Chicago (a Four Seasons hotel). Located off Michigan Avenue in Water Tower Place, one of the first mixed-use condo high rises in the city, some of the world’s best stores, restaurants and museums are right outside your door. The rooms are spacious and elegantly comfortable—plush pillows, luxurious fabrics, cherry-wood furniture—and the hotel lives up to its reputation for flawless service.

The hotel is offering a “Family Fun Slumber Party Package” from now through Dec. 31, 2008, starting at $285 per night, with complimentary fleece blankets, teddy bears, a box of homemade cookies and admission to several sights. For more details, check out the lead item in this issue’s Travel News article.

Parents with alone time from the kids should make an appointment at the hotel’s Spa at The Carlton Club. I consider massages to be a necessity rather than a luxury—I get them once a month on average—and the spa’s signature massage is one of the most relaxing treatments I’ve ever enjoyed. The spa also caters to kids and offers three treatments for children and teens, along with special children’s hours.

Bird’s Eye View

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers is situated along the Chicago River—famously dyed green each St. Patrick’s Day—and offers stunning views of the skyline and Lake Michigan. It’s also down the street from Navy Pier, one of the top family attractions in Chicago. The hotel draws a lot of meeting and convention business, but that doesn’t mean deals for families can’t be found.

The hotel currently has three specials running for its youngest guests.

• The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers is located along the Chicago River and only a block from Lake Michigan.
• Craig Dugan/Starwood Hotels

• Sheraton and Navy Pier have teamed up to offer a package with rates that start at $205 a night, two Ferris Wheel tickets and two Navy Pier VIP booklets, with savings on dining, shopping and entertainment.
  
  
• The hotel’s “Family Fun Package” starts at $175 a night and includes cookies and milk upon arrival, free meal for kids 12 and under with the purchase of an adult meal, one in-room movie per night and 4 p.m. late check-out.
  
  
• The Sheraton also has partnered with American Girl Place Chicago to offer its “American Girl Package,” with rates from $179 a night. The package includes a special greeting upon arrival where both young girls and their American Girl doll will be checked in, cupcakes delivered to guests rooms, an American Girl Bed to be kept for the doll’s future slumber parties, hotel valet parking, complimentary upgrade to an over-sized room or junior suite, based on availability.

Boutique Babies

Family-friendly doesn’t mean you have to give up style, and boutique hotel company Kimpton understands this. Each of its two downtown Chicago properties is running special package deals for family travelers.

Located in the Loop across the street from the historic former Marshall Field’s flagship store (now a Macy’s) is Hotel Burnham, a luxury property on the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America register. You’ll be staying among Chicago’s finest architectural treasures and be walking distance to the shops on State Street as well as to the outstanding Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, Michigan Avenue and the Chicago Cultural Center—which has stunning interior of mosaics, marble columns and stained-glass domes that shouldn’t be missed.

The hotel’s “Building Blocks Package” puts guests in a deluxe room with two double beds and comes with a Kimpton Kids pack, building blocks toy set, architectural coloring book, cookies and milk at turndown, a child-size animal print robe for use during your stay and a pet fish to keep the kids company. Rates start at $259.

The animal print robe also is available at Kimpton’s Hotel Allegro, four blocks west of the Burnham. The property treats its “Lil’ Celebrities” guests to a deluxe room with two double beds, a Kimpton swag bag, the book Frommer’s for Kids by Laura Tierbert, priority seating passes for Ed Debevics’ [read about Ed’s in our Chicago Dining article] and kid’s celebrity sunglasses. Guests can also create their own pizza for dinner and ice cream sundae for dessert. Rates from $314.