My daughter’s first home was the Four Seasons Hong Kong, and we’ve shared a life well-traveled ever since — through years of long-haul transpacific flights and global family trips. I now do this professionally as a luxury travel advisor who works with families to book hotels around the world.
What I’ve learned is simple: for parents, real luxury isn’t always about thread count. It’s about logistics. It’s about rooms that can be guaranteed to connect, kids’ programming that goes beyond screens, and arrivals that don’t unravel a trip before it begins.
These are the things I look for when booking family-friendly luxury hotels that work in real life.
1. Room Size and Occupancy Limits
Over the years, I’ve started paying very close attention to the square footage (or meters) of a room. In cities like London and Paris, standard rooms can be under 250 square feet, which is quite small for a family of three like mine.
If we’re flying long haul, we need a suite since my husband needs so much less sleep than my daughter and me. Having a door between us those first few nights makes acclimating to a new time zone significantly easier than sharing one room.
The price difference between a standard room and a junior suite isn’t always drastic, and many properties now design suites specifically for families. Some, like the two-bedroom family suites at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, offer ground-level terraces where kids can play — along with other thoughtful family-friendly features.
One detail that often gets overlooked is a hotel’s occupancy limits. These are set by fire code, not by bed size. We always verify this before booking. Many travelers ignore occupancy rules — we don’t. If your family doesn’t technically fit, we either secure an approved exception when possible or choose a different room category. Hotels can and do deny stays that violate fire codes, and it’s not a risk worth taking.
2. Kids’ Clubs
Supervised kids’ clubs add a fantastic level of convenience to family vacations because parents can hit the golf course or spa while youngsters have a great time with various activities around the hotel, art projects, and more.
Kids’ clubs also have age limits for when you can leave kids with staff without parents. These are set by the hotel’s local laws or insurance and I haven’t seen an exception made if a child is on the cusp of turning the allowable age.
One of the most fantastic kids’ clubs I’ve ever seen is actually at Four Seasons Oahu, with its multiple rooms and activities for age groups.
Hotels and resorts are also enhancing activity offerings for teens and tweens, as not to leave out these age groups.
3. Unique Cultural and VIP Experiences
In addition to kids’ clubs, look for extraordinary experiences for all ages. The Peninsula Tokyo’s Peninsula Academy offers kids the opportunity to immerse themselves in special cultural activities, such as origami folding and wind-chime making, between visits to Tokyo Disneyland and other attractions.
Not to mention, VIP experiences for parents, including a sake brewery tour, a day of pampering with the city’s best stylists, kimono dressings, and much more.
4. The When, Where, and How of Breakfast
With an early riser on my hands, it’s important for me to figure out breakfast logistics in advance. This includes, like, what time the hotel restaurant opens, and whether in-room dining is available, should she wake up before 7 a.m. or so.
I used to bring instant oatmeal or similar as an emergency provision, but she loves hotel breakfast buffet and will leg it out until it’s available. Breakfast is often included in some room packages, so investigate whether it offers cost savings for you.
Is it continental or a buffet? Room service only or in the restaurant? How many people is it included for?
Pro tip: Many travel advisor bookings come with breakfast for two included – be sure to ask us, because it can save a lot.
5. Provided Essential Gear for Young Kids and Babies
These days, there is no need to pack all of the baby’s essentials. For example, Hotel del Coronado can provide a free crib or a pack and play for families.
Four Seasons Aviara also has diaper pails, high chairs, and bottle warmers. Some hotels (like FS Aviara) will even baby-proof your room on request (think corner guards on tables or outlet covers) or provide items like bath toys and baby shampoos.
These offerings aren’t always listed on hotel websites, so we ask the hotels directly for them. You can also call the hotel directly. You need to request the gear in advance as it is in limited supply.
See also: My curated guide to the best family hotels in San Diego
6. Hotel Club Lounges
While it may seem that club lounges are for business use—and they certainly are—I have found them extremely valuable for family travel. A typical Executive Club or Club Level room comes with all-day access to the VIP facility, which usually includes a lovely breakfast buffet, all-day drinks, and light snacks, as well as some sort of evening light supper and cocktail offerings. Some even offer a British-style afternoon tea, depending on where you are.
You never know when hunger is going to strike a kid, and it’s nice to be able to quickly duck into a club to satisfy whatever the craving is immediately. And, depending on how much you’ll use it, they can even save you money.
These clubs are particularly popular in Asia (and, dare I say, reasonably priced for what you get in my experience). We sometimes add on club level to our stays at Four Seasons Hong Kong.
You will need to check a lounges age policy for kids. Some will include club access for two adults only so you may need to pay an extra nightly fee for your kids to enter. Some allow kids of certain ages in the evening (or not at all).
7. The WiFi Situation
If I’m in an exotic, secluded locale like the family-friendly Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, you’d better believe I’ll be sharing photos of turquoise water and gorgeous beaches.
My daughter increasingly needs WiFi, too, when traveling. It helps entertain her while she’s chilling in the hotel room or helps her complete a few homework assignments.
Most hotels now offer free WiFi, but some high-end resorts still charge for it or have limitations – which can be frustrating when the whole family has gadgets. You may have to join a hotel’s frequent stay program to get it for free, or you may have to upgrade to a premium WiFi service so that everyone in the family can stream in peace.
8. Easy Hotel or Resort Location
Location matters when on a family vacation and I like to make sure that I know where to grab snacks nearby on the fly (if not in a club level room) as well as what we can do within walking distance of the hotel.
I know that Mandarin Oriental, London’s Knightsbridge location is not only in the heart of my favorite fashionable district in London, but that within steps of the hotel are things my daughter would like to do such as visit Harrod’s and Harvey Nick’s (where there is also tons of lovely convenience foods) and Hyde Park. Pretty much anything I forget to pack can be sourced within steps of the hotel.
Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong is also located on top of Pacific Place mall, which has a gourmet grocery store and convenience stores inside.
See also: My curated list of Hong Kong family hotels
9. Concierge Contact Before a Stay
I am an enormous fan of contacting the concierge before your stay to coordinate activity and dining reservations in advance. Four Seasons has made this incredibly easy through the Four Seasons app chat function. However, if you’re not at a Four Seasons, you can call the hotel or usually find the guest services or concierge email on the hotel’s website.
Not only does having each day outlined in advance cut down stress, but I find that they are often able to purchase attraction tickets in advance and have special relationships with certain, otherwise busy restaurants they can get you in to.
I cut the queue to the Big Buddha in Hong Kong last time I was there because our concierge made us a reservation that sent us through the VIP line. It is their job to know what you don’t!
10. Arrivals Service
Arrivals services take the chaos out of juggling luggage, kids gear and then some on public transportation to a hotel. I can not emphasize to you how valuable it is.
The Raffles Hotel Singapore, one of my favorite historic hotels, offers limousine service with a fleet of beautiful cars that include a Bentley. They can meet you at the incredibly family-friendly Changi International Airport, help collect your luggage and whisk you away to your first Singapore Sling (the hotel is the very place where the drink was invented and I have the recipe).
There are just so many things to do in Singapore with kids that I highly recommend it for a family vacation. We try to return every other year.
Get Even More Included With a VIP Booking
My job is to help you remove the stress from family travel by handling the hotel side of things. We know which hotels arrange kids’ amenities and help facilitate that. Checking in as a VIP reduces the risk of poor room assignments and helps you avoid handling issues on your own.
Plus, we can add amenities such as daily breakfast for two, hotel credits, room upgrades, and more at thousands of hotels worldwide.
You can use our hotel booking tool or request rates directly.
What are your best tips for booking family-friendly luxury hotels?
Katie Dillon
Leave a Reply