HotelChatter contributing editor Tim Leffel is moving around the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and Canada, seeing the hotel scene from a family travel perspective. If you have a question about where to stay in the region, hit us on the tipline, or just comment below, and we will do our best to get you some sort of answer. Enjoy.
Seattle's Mayflower Park Hotel first opened in 1927, built for $750,000 and in a move that was rare at the time, all 240 rooms had their own baths.
On the downside, this was during prohibition, so the current bar was then a drugstore. Double rooms ran from $3.50 to $7 and suites topped out at $10 during peak periods.
You will pay $289 a night a now for a suite under the "Family Fun Package," but in today's dollars, it's a good deal. For that price you get a true suite--as in put the kids in a different room--and some quality extras.
We are fortunate enough not to have to travel with kids (not yet anyways) so normally, we're not concerned about which hotels are family-friendly and which aren't when we book our hotels for personal stays. However, we do keep track of that here.
Yet when we saw this we got confused. The "kids stay free" part we get. The other part not so much. Straight from the Sheraton website:
Your kids are Sheraton's kids. Kids stay free at Sheraton Hotels & Resorts around the world as long as they are staying with an adult and using existing bedding.
So...kids bring their own bedding? Or kids stay for free only if they use the bedding in the room? Thus once you call for extra blankets and pillows, you get charged? Either way, confusing. Thank god we're kid-free!
As all kids know, there comes a time in every young life when it's unfathomably uncool to be seen with your parents...unless you and the units are down in Jamaica, and you're traveling for free, mon.
The Half Moon Resort has a new package, "Hangin' With the Rents," that lets your rugrat stay free, as long as he/she is under 18. There's also 50 percent off meal plans for kids aged 3 to 11.
This is a massive resort sitting on more than 400 acres, with endless stuff to do, either as a family or just for kids--from tennis courts and horse-back riding to close encounters of the third kind with dolphins at the Dolphin Lagoon.
There's free snorkeling, kayaking, and floatie things available, and tons of sailing lessons, parasailing, glass bottom boat tours, and scuba, if you want to pay extra.
Or just play along the beach, or in the three huge pools (the hotel actually has 51 pools but most are part of villas, suites or cottages...but still...)
Suites are as low as US$380; two- bedroom suites start at $1,060, and the imperial suites are $1,100.
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Hotel Maven/Super Mom NatalieWW plans a Spring Break the whole family can enjoy.
Believe it or not but college kids aren't the only ones who look forward to Spring Break in March and April. Families like/need a break too.
Right now, I'm thinking about heading to Zion Mountain Resort, near the East entrance to Utah's Zion's National Park. It's either that, Rocky Point or San Diego.
The kids would be jazzed about the rustic ranch setting and all of the adventurous activities the ranch offers. Me, I think the deluxe lodges with modern and even semi-luxurious amenities such as Jacuzzi tubs look great. Dad, well, he'd just be happy this trip wouldn't include shopping. Although there is a gift shop in the lobby...
HotelChatter's contributing editor NatalieWW knows a thing or two (or more) about kids and traveling with 'em. Here she returns with some more favorite fam-friendly hotels for New York City.
70 Park Avenue is primarily known as an upscale boutique hotel from Kimpton. And yet, it is surprisingly family-friendly. Case in point: the Murray Hill neighborhood location is primarily residential yet also walking distance to many prime attractions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Empire State Building, Broadway and Times Square. Thirty connecting rooms are available, which lends itself well to larger families or parents of older kids wishing a little privacy.
What: Consider it the ultimate family-friendly hotel weekend happening event. Iguanas and other reptiles will be on show for kiddies (and adult guests) during the "Animal Encounters" event put on by the Shedd Aquarium.
The hotel's pastry chef Mary Terisi will also help kids decorate fish-shaped cookies, but after the petting of reptiles is done we presume.
HotelChatter's newest contributing editor NatalieWW knows a thing or two (or more) about kids and traveling with 'em. Here she lists her fave fam-friendly spots for New York City.
Last September I found myself in the Big Apple with my 13-year-old daughter (see avatar), and lemme tell you -- the place we stayed was definitely NOT kid-friendly.
So today we run down a few hotels in Manhattan where you can take the kiddies and not feel as if you've grown a third head. First up is Le Parker Meridien.
Not your traditional "family" hotel, this stylish midtown property offers plenty to keep the kids happy. Starting with large (by New York standards) suites with in-room kitchens for those little conveniences of home, such as microwaving a midnight bottle or making a toddler's favorite PB&J sandwich.
Older kids and teens will appreciate the lobby with three-story atrium and modern art and the many the fitness options. The impressive rooftop swimming pool is a hit with both the young and young at heart.
Le Parker Meridien also offers welcome packets for young guests and kids under 12 stay free with their parents. They even have a neat online feature where you can input your interests and travel style and they will customize itinerary suggestions just for you.
HotelChatter's newest contributing editor NatalieWW knows a thing or two (or more) about kids and traveling with 'em. Here she lists her fave fam-friendly spots for Sin City.
Las Vegas may not be the first place that comes to mind for a wholesome family vacation. But between the Shark Encounter at Mandalay Bay and the erupting Mirage volcano, and the ongoing kiddie-fest that is Circus Circus, there are plenty of options for families.
Best hotel bet: The Excalibur Hotel & Casino. Loosely patterned after the architecture of castles from England, Scotland, and Germany, it's full of family-friendly attraction and dining options.
Now, we wouldn't want to condradict ourselves by saying Excalibur is off the Crapping Out list, but considering the new rooms (with pillow-topped mattresses and 42" plasma TVs) and the special considerations bringing the kiddies adds, we maintain that the Excalibur is a great choice for family fun.
If simply staying in a "castle" isn't enough to thrill the wee ones, there's the Fantasy Faire Midway, a very large (and dark) room filled with carnival games, and the Court Jester's Stage, where magicians and puppeteers entertain. Younger kids will have fun climbing on the dragons outside the Sherwood Forest Café.
There's also the new Spongebob Squarepants 4D Special FX ride (which joins the existing Extreme Log Ride and Dino Island 4-D rides). Kids and adults alike will enjoy gawking at the killer views from Tower 2. The Tournament of Kings is a blast -- including dueling knights, costumed prancing horses, and an evil wizard --- and we think, worth the price of admission.
Of course, you will have to steer clear of the nearly-naked Aussie men downstairs, that is, unless you hire one of the babysitting services the hotel can set you up with. Hey, this is still Sin City.
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by Tim L.
We are fortunate enough not to have to travel with kids (not yet anyways) so normally, we're not concerned about which hotels are family-friendly and which aren't when we book our hotels for personal stays. However, we do keep track of that 
