Why do people stay in hotels on family holidays?

[JambonetFromage]

We’re on a city break with DC so staying in a hotel which is not the norm for us.

DC sleeping after a late night last night. I’m currently stuck in the hotel room waiting for them to wake (I’ve already been out for a run and come back, DH has now gone to hotel gym). I’m itching to get out of the room!

If we weren’t in a villa, apartment, tent, or whatever I’d be sat outside with a coffee, making a picnic lunch, doing some yoga or something that’s not sitting on a bed next to snoozing kids.

Whatever way you cut it, children sleep longer than adults and until DC are older someone needs to stay in the room while they’re sleeping, which just seems to make hotels seem like a bad choice with kids. But loads of people always stay in hotels, so what is the appeal I am missing?

The thing I found most stressy about the toddler years was having to watch them constantly. So Ifound this the peak time for staying in airbnbs - I looked for family-oriented places (often staying in homes of people who had young children themselves) that were well kitted out for families - everything you might want like stair gates, suitable beds and lots of toys and books. A pile of new toys to explore kept the DC engrossed and I could actually relax for a bit.

But I really don’t mind at all self-catering on holiday, in fact I prefer the flexibility especially with children. Being stuck with the schedule imposed for mealtimes is a pain.

How old are your children? Mine always wake up early on holiday and we're usually in suites where they get a bedroom to themselves anyway. I enjoy all the hotel amenities... who wants to clean up an Airbnb on holiday? Ugh.

Children sleep longer than adults?!?!

what a blessed life you lead.

i stay in hotels because I don’t want to clean on holiday.

We don’t stay in hotels for family holidays because they don’t suit us!
they do suit others which is why I presume they choose to book them.
It’s fine for just dh and I but with the dc we want a proper home space not just a room. We all sleep and wake at different times!

I wake my DC up and we all go to breakfast together. We don’t stay in hotels to have a lie in, DC can do that when they get back home.

Sorry to repeat myself but I meant children sleep more hours in total than adults, so you are confined to a hotel room during your waking hours either in the evening or the morning..

Even if they have had a late night the day before? Or do they go to bed at a reasonable time and then you are in the room with them in the evening?

We don't mind a hotel for a short break, but for a week long break much prefer self catering for the extra space, flexibility and just having a washing machine so we're not bringing it all back with us. I don't mind doing some cooking, we tend to still eat our once a day in self catering and DH and I share the chores.

We stay in hotels because we don’t want to be packing lunches, worrying about what to do for dinner. It’s a break for all of us so that means getting away from the mundane jobs that we normally do at home too.

We stayed in a hotel last night with a 3 year old. Up to 11 for the women’s rugby World Cup. He was up at 8:30 this morning. Not in the best of moods but he was still awake. We’ve had a great day today and now heading home. It was a hotel for convenience. Caravans / apartments / tents etc are more the holiday norm.

we stay in hotels because everything from making our bed, to cleaning up, to all meals are prepared for us. In other accommodation you still have to do some / all of it yourself.

I'm with you, OP.

We often break our journey at a hotel on the way to a holiday (4DC ranging from 1 to 8, so naptimes/mealtimes general entertainment mean I don't like a really long drive OR airports!!). I don't mind for 1 night, but certainly wouldnt want to do it for the whole holiday! It feels like everyone is up till the eldest is ready for bed but then we are all woken by the earliest riser in the morning. It only works for us as then everyone (except me, I'm the driver) snoozes for the rest of the journey the next day and I enjoy lots of coffee in blissful silence.

I used to stay in a family oriented hotel at half terms when DC were small as DH was working so not able to come. It meant there was lots for DC to do - pools zip wire kids entertainment. I could put them in kids club in the evening - they loved it as they were late to bed after my dinner and they slept later in the morning. I could have some me time and some time with them and not have to focus on anything else like cooking cleaning shopping etc.

again, you live a blessed life. Not all children sleep more hours than adults.

They should and need that sleep, but many children have SN that make getting that sleep extremely difficult

Hotels are nice. It's a treat to stay in them. Self catering wouldn't be a treat for me. My kids go down at a decent time but not too early on holiday so I can read in bed etc and then when they wake we are straight up and out for breakfast (about 8am) so not in the room for long

Because I work a 60 hour week plus all the stuff I do at home - and for 2 weeks of the year some wonderful person tidies my room, cleans the bathroom, hoovers and makes my bed. Additionally I don’t have to cook!! That 2 weeks for me is my time to not do a thing apart from relax, swim and read.

Because I don’t want to have to do my own cooking, cleaning, or deal with anything that goes wrong. When we go away we go to hotels that have bungalows/suites so you get the best of both worlds. 2 bedrooms, a separate living area & terrace. Then we can go to the pool where the kids make friends, and all the meals are made for us, drinks are included and we don’t have to wash up! Everyone is different 🤷🏼‍♀️

That’s an odd judgement to lean towards about someone who likes an active holiday. It doesn’t have to be a trade-off. My work is demanding, my home is clean, and I prefer holidays with lots of activity (physical and sightseeing). I did an all-inclusive once for a wedding and did do some lounging around, but also did a lot of sea swimming and other physical activity because there were days that were fully resort-bound and there’s only so much I can sit around. I know people who love a totally slow-paced holiday, but I wouldn’t be assuming that they did work and their homes were clean just on that basis.

I agree! You’d either be stuck in on an evening or morning.
man apartment you can sit outside or in a different room and enjoy adult time. Would never actively choose a hotel with kids

I stay in hotels because I like them and the facilities. I don’t want to cook, wash up or clean after myself or anyone else on holiday. I like ordering room service too. I never book a room without a balcony and if my kids are sleeping, I order breakfast and eat it on the balcony.

For us if we book a hotel where its just the room, then we expect to be on the same schedule and doing stuff together. We also tend to go to sleep early and wake up early all together. This is for shorter breaks.
For a longer holidays we do like hotels too but I always book a room with a balcony and separate bedroom and living room and near the pool etc.
I wouldnt book more than a two night break in a one room hotel room with no outside space or separate living area.

I love hotels no cleaning or cooking and everything there for you. Pools, beaches.spa,golf courses and gymn

IIt’s hardly charmed, it’s completely typical for children to sleep more hours than adults. And I say that as a parent of a child with SN who has had significant sleep issues and having dealt with that alongside living with chronic fatigue and needing loads of sleep myself.
Not fun but I don’t think everyone who hasn’t had to deal with that as having a charmed life.

Does this come down to budget? I aim
for no more than £100 - £120 a night for accommodation for the four of us (£150 at a push), but I am not normally looking at resort type hotels so I don’t really know what the going rate is. Maybe it depends where you are?

We have moved on from the city part of our holiday and are now staying in an Airbnb which was £140 a night and the only hotel in the same town was £200 a night which was for the cheapest room with a pull-out bed for the DC. The AirBnB was a no-brainer.

My DC aged 15 and 12 are awake and up by 7.30am latest, even on holiday. And if they weren’t, I wouldn’t be wasting my morning waiting for them to wake up - I’d get them out of bed. We stay in hotels or apartments as villas with a pool are out of our budget for a 4 people and also we don’t agree with Air BnB flats or houses as they inflate the housing prices in an area and prevent lower paid locals from being able to to afford to rent or buy.