Hotel Rooms: Get the Size Your Family Needs

Families With School-Age Kids

There is no doubt that traveling to popular kid-friendly destinations like Orlando, San Diego or Washington, D.C., gives families the most lodging options. All-suite hotels and family-suite rooms are more commonplace, and deals and discounts are plentiful. Hotel personnel are used to accommodating family requests (connecting rooms, cribs, games for rainy days); and extras such as free breakfast, in-room refrigerators and microwaves offer added value.

Families With Teens

While on a family vacation, parents of teenagers don’t covet a room with a view, but rather a room for themselves—and a separate one for the kids. Adjoining hotel rooms are ideal for this age group: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two doors. For a short hotel stay—such as college campus visits—forget about hotel amenities. Booking two hotel rooms from a limited-service chain such as Comfort Inn is often less than the price of one fancy hotel room. And the money you save can go toward your child’s tuition bill.

A Home Away from Home

Why settle for just a hotel room? For many families, a condo, house or villa rental has the advantage of offering more space, a lot more privacy and luxury resort amenities, such as kitchens, pools and maid service, for a price that is often the same or less than a comparable hotel room. Hall says that a vacation property management company like ResortQuest International makes it easy to rent a vacation home in great places like Hawaii, Florida and Colorado, and they’re a particularly good choice for large family groups or active families that enjoy a beach, golf or ski vacation.

• An inviting bed at a Comfort Inn.
• Courtesy of Comfort Inn Guestroom

Live Like a Local in Europe

Hotel rooms in Europe are notoriously small—a double or twin-bedded hotel room is the norm. So for families with children, a flat in the city or a country cottage is an excellent option that also offers an authentic European experience. Villa renters tend to be “better-traveled,” says Mario Scalzi, president of the Lynn, Mass.–based Parker Company, which specializes in Italian villa rentals. “Extended families especially enjoy gathering at a villa to spend quality time together in a wonderful setting.” And Americans are discovering that a short-term (usually one-week) European city apartment rental can be arranged as easily as a European villa vacation.

Established rental agencies that specialize in European rentals like Rentvillas.com and Parker have numerous property choices in both the city and in the country with easily navigated Web sites and travel advisors that are just a phone call away to help you plan your family’s trip of a lifetime.