When you have lots of kids money often becomes a struggle, especially when you consider the cost of hotel rooms. Yet, we have discovered that there are actually many benefits to splurging a little and getting a suite for your family. Below are our top seven reasons why we will get a suite.
1) Money - While suites are more expensive than a typical room, they are often cheaper than getting two separate rooms. The standard hotel room has a maximum capacity of 4-6 people, which isn’t near enough for a large family. While I will admit to breaking this rule on many occasions, I have learned that there are important reasons why hotels don’t want you to treat the room like a clown car. If you are considering getting a second hotel room (aka more beds and a second bathroom) then a suite may be a less expensive option. There is also the added benefit of getting to share a bed with your spouse.
2) The Door - Most suites provide some sort of separation between the sitting area (where the kids will sleep on the pull out couch) and the bedroom. This may be a door, a staircase, or at a minimum a partial way. When you have just spent a hours in the car with your kids it often becomes necessary to get away. Although a door won’t block all of the sound, it at least provide the option of not breathing the same air as your kids for a few minutes, and possibly all night.
3) Perks - A little known fact is that some hotels actually provide extra perks to customers staying in their suites. For example, on a recent trip to Colorado Springs we stayed in the Hotel Elegante. Unfortunately upon arriving I discovered that we would have to pay for our breakfast in the morning, a huge added expense for our family. Yet, by simply upgrading our standard room to a suite (which only cost me $75) we would have access to the Premier Lounge. The Premier Lounge provided not only a free hot breakfast and free snacks (and booze for those who drink) in the evening, but also a comfortable and quite place to take my kids when they were restless in the middle of the night. The cost of breakfast alone nearly covered the upgrade.
4) Two TVs - I love that most hotels now carry the Disney channel, but personally there is only so much I can watch during a trip. Although somewhat obvious, one of the biggest benefits of staying in a suite is having separate TVs for kids and adults. We don’t typically use the TV, and prefer to still stream shows from my laptop, but it is nice to have an option other than cartoons and bad acting.
5) The Bathtub - I know it doesn’t always happen, but when it does it is heaven sent. I am talking about the separate bathtub, which in suites sometimes turns into an oversized jacuzzi tub. Kids stink in general, but when traveling it seems impossible to keep them from getting extra smelly. Yet for some reason it is also much more difficult to bathe every kid every day when you are on the road. If your suite has a separate tub and shower then you can clean your children twice as fast. Bath time is also more fun when you aren’t rushing to let the next person climb in behind you.
6) Feeling Special - Hotel staff must hate me, because I am always asking for additional items brought to my room. I have yet to find a hotel that starts you off with enough bath towels, pillows, blankets, or beds for a large family. At the very least I find myself asking for a bed for the baby, but if there is space in the room I will sometimes get a full roll away bed plus the sheets and blankets to match. While these requests may draw strange looks with a standard room, the judgement disappears when you are staying in a suite. All of a sudden the hotel staff is there to serve you, and even remembers your room number without having to ask. This may come from a false perceptions that everyone staying in a suite is a big tipper, or possibly you just stand out as most unique, but in either case it feels good.
7) A Happy Wife - It goes without saying, which is why I say it constantly, the most important part of having a fun trip with your family is to keep your spouse happy. There is nothing better than seeing the look of relief on my wife’s face when she sees that she won’t be spending another night in a sardine can. There are lots of benefits to having a happy wife, but to keep this G rated lets just say your trip will go much better if you are in a suite.
Although this may sound like a big plug for spending a fortune on your hotel, you need to know that I am just as cheap as I have always been. As a family we prefer to camp. Even when we stay in a hotel I personally don’t reserve suites as my initial purchase but rather find an inexpensive room online (often using Priceline’s name your price feature) and then ask for an upgrade upon arrival. On a few occasions I have been upgraded to a suite for free, but usually there is some small charge associated with the upgrade. Typically the discounted room price plus the upgrade is still about the same as I would have paid for a standard room at full price. As a disclaimer this doesn’t always work, especially if you plan to arrive at the hotel after 5 or 6pm, by which time hotels have often run out of their best rooms. If you travel infrequently, or if money isn’t an issue for you family, then the safe bet is to just suck it up and book the suite. You may pay twice as much for your room, but you will also get twice the sleep.
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