How to Pick the Best Hotel Room for Your Family

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Do you stress out about where to stay on your family vacations? Do you get overwhelmed trying to find the perfect hotel or vacation rental? If so, then you are in the right place! These tips will help you pick the best hotel room for your family on your next trip.

I recently found myself planning multiple trips all at once. And, in the process, I got super overwhelmed when trying to book our hotels. There were just so many options! I couldn’t make a decision.

But, after taking a step back, and remembering these tips, I was able to find not only the best hotels for our trips, but I also booked the best room at each hotel for my family! If these tips can help me, I know they can help you too!

Tip #1: Be realistic.

First and foremost, to pick the best hotel room for your family, you need to be realistic about it.

Don’t expect to stay in a five star luxury hotel in the heart of the city if you can only afford to spend $100 per night. And, if you are a family of 6, you are going to have to spend more to find a room that will accommodate your family.

So, go into the process with realistic expectations of what your budget is, what you need in a room, and what your expectations are.

Tip #2: Stop comparing yourself.

The next tip to remember when booking your hotels is to stop comparing yourself and your family to other people.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people ask strangers on social media where to stay in a particular location. While it’s smart to ask for recommendations and reviews, don’t just blindly pick a hotel because someone else loved it.

Remember that your family is unique. And what was perfect for another family doesn’t mean that it will be perfect for you. So, listen to the reviews of others, but don’t forget to look at them through the lens of your family’s preferences and personalities.

Tip #3: Think about location.

When picking the best hotel room for your family, you need to think about the location. Not only should you consider the safety of the neighborhood, but also think about the proximity of the hotel to the activities you will be doing on your trip.

One of my best tips for improving your family vacations is to decide what things you are going to do on your trip before picking out where to stay so you can pick a convenient location. This will save you driving time and allow you to do more things.

Tip #4: Consider budget.

In order to pick the best hotel room for your family, you also must take into account your budget. A hotel may be awesome, but if it is out of your price range, it is not the perfect hotel for your family.

Ask yourself what your biggest priority is on this trip: lodging, food, or activities? Remember, the right answer for your family may not be the same as someone else.

If the hotel is your priority, then devote a larger portion of your vacation budget to it. If it is not your top priority, then look for a more moderately priced place to stay.

Tip #5: Compare vacation rentals to hotel rooms.

A big question when deciding where to stay on vacations is: should you stay in a vacation rental or hotel. Now, like everything else when it comes to travel, this is going to largely be a personal preference.

When you are thinking about which one is best for your family, consider the amount of space you need and location. But also figure in any extra fees associated with a vacation rental and whether you will be required to do any cleaning or will need to bring anything with you, such as towels, toilet paper, or any other necessities.

Sometimes, a hotel room will be cheaper or less of a hassle than a vacation rental once you figure in the cleaning fees and other requirements. But, a vacation rental will definitely give you more space.

Tip #6: Think about your family’s sleeping requirements.

Another important, but frequently forgotten, aspect to think about when it is time to pick the best hotel room for your family is sleeping requirements. Now, this includes how many beds you need, but it is more than that.

You need to think about how your kids sleep. Do they need a night light? Can they sleep with noise or movement in the room? Are they used to being in a room all alone while sleeping? Do you plan to stay up later than your kids to spend time with your husband? Do your kids go to bed at different times?

If your kids can sleep anywhere in any environment, then any hotel room with enough beds will do. However, if your kids need a particular environment for sleep, then consider getting a suite with separate rooms.

If you have a baby or toddler that needs to sleep in a pack and play, then get a room that has enough floor space to set it up.

Tip #7: Think about your family’s personalities and habits.

My next tip for how to pick the best hotel room for your family is to think about their personalities and habits.

Are you early risers or night owls? Do you have some of both? Do your kids need to nap in a quiet space everyday? Will you or your husband need to do some remote work while on your trip? Do you prefer to cook some of your meals instead of eating out all the time?

Be sure to take all of these things into account when deciding where to stay. Find a place that will allow you to have the space you need to accommodate your family’s personalities and habits in the best possible way.

Tip #8: Visualize how you will use the room.

Additionally, think about how you will use the room during your vacation. Will you only be there to sleep and shower? Do you plan on spending a good chunk of time relaxing in the room? Do you plan to cook some meals there and give your kids time to play?

Are your kids big swimmers? Does your husband want to workout every morning? If you plan to use the hotel pool, fitness center, or restaurant, make sure you look at these amenities when choosing where to stay.

My son loves to swim. He thinks he needs to go swimming every time we stay at a hotel. So, when we travel in the winter, I try to book hotels with indoor pools.

Tip #9: Don’t be misleading.

Lastly, to pick the best hotel room for your family, don’t be misleading when booking. If you will have 5 people, don’t put on the booking that you only have 4. While it doesn’t matter for sleeping purposes if the fifth person is your one year old who will sleep with you, it is important to include everyone on the reservation.

This is because the hotel needs to know exactly how many people are staying there in the event of an emergency. Plus, fire codes dictate the maximum occupancy of each room. Don’t put your family’s safety in jeopardy by being sneaky with your reservation information.

If you have more people than will fit in a standard hotel room, look for a family suite that will hold more people or consider booking two connecting rooms. Not only will this satisfy those fire codes, but it will give you the space you need.

Conclusion

These days there are so many choices that it can be overwhelming to decide where to stay on your vacations. But these tips will help you pick the best hotel room for your family. And the more perfect your room is, the better your vacation will be.

To book the best hotel for your family, head to Hotellook or Agoda for great deals.

Need more help planning your trip? See the best places to book a hotel, where to start your trip planning, how to plan an epic vacation, and how to have amazing vacations on any budget.

To save money on your family vacations, see my money-saving tips for hotels, airfare, rental cars, and food. And see how to make hotel bathrooms more functional and my safety tips for hotels.

Happy travels!

P.S. Need help finding the best places to go on your family vacations? My Ultimate USA Bucket List for Families will instantly give you 60 of the best vacation destinations for families in the United States! Get it for FREE in the box below and start planning your next trip today! Plus, as a bonus, you will receive my weekly email newsletter full of family trip tips and inspiration!