Dining with kids in hotels- what are your options?

The Milelion does not have children. This is not his fault. Rather, it is the women who are wrong. However, other Milelion readers have been able to procreate, and that’s totally cool with The Milelion. He bears them no ill will, so long as their progeny don’t end up seated near him on an aircraft.

If you have kids, you might be wondering what your options are when it comes to hotel dining. If you’re going to stay at a Starwood property, you might want to know that Starwood has what’s called a “Kids Pass” which allows parents to pay a flat daily rate for their kids (aged 12 and below) to get all you can eat dining throughout the duration of the stay.

The fine print-

  • If you buy the Kids Pass, you need to buy it for the entire duration of your stay (it’s charged on a daily basis). You can buy it after your stay has started, but need to participate till the day you check out. You can’t pick and choose particular days to do the Kids Pass
  • To use the Kids Pass for meals, the adult accompanying the child also needs to buy an item (some places say main course, others only say “an item”). If the kid is only having a drink, the adult needs to be present but doesn’t need to order anything

What this is, in reality, is a sneaky way of locking in additional revenue because properties are banking on the fact the parent is locked in for hotel dining as well. Add that to the fact that you can’t pick and choose particular days to do the Kids Pass, and you might be wondering why this is a good deal.

Well, it’s not going to make sense in all situations, but it could make sense when you’re staying at a resort where outside dining options are limited because the resort is cut off from the rest of the world.

The magic question is how much does it cost? It varies from resort to resort. SPG provides a list of participating resorts where you can buy a Kids Pass, but advises you to contact individual properties to get pricing. So I did. I emailed every single one of those properties just so you don’t have to. Here’s the ones that responded within 24 hours (I’ll keep adding to this list as responses come in)

PropertyCityCharge/Day (Local)Charge/Day (SGD)
Westin Shimei Bay ResortHainanFree with paying parent$0
Sheraton Hua HinHua Hin300 THB$12
Le Meridien She ShanShanghai66 RMB$14
Sheraton Grand Guangzhou HuaduGuangzhou69 RMB$14
Sheraton Fiji ResortNadiFJ$20$14
Sheraton SamuiKoh SamuiTHB 353$14
Sheraton Shenzhou PenisulaHainanUS$10$15
Laguna Nusa DuaBaliUS$10$15
Le Meridien AngkorSiem ReapUS$10$15
Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & SpaNha TrangUS$10$15
St Regis BaliBaliUS$10$15
Sheraton Bali KutaBaliIDR 150,000$16
Le Meridien Bali JimbaranBaliIDR 150000$16
Sheraton Bailuhu ResortHuizhouCNY 88$18
St Regis LangkawiLangkawi60 MYR$19
Westin Siray Bay ResortPhuketTHB 500$20
Westin Resort BaliBaliUS$15$22
Westin Resort Nusa DuaBaliUS$15$22
Sheraton Rhodes ResortRhodes15 EUR$23
Naka IslandPhuket600 THB$24
St Regis Sanya Yalong Bay ResortHainanCNY 117$24
Westin Miyako KyotoKyotoJPY 2000$25
Westin Resort & Spa, WhistlerWhistlerCAD 25$27
Andaman Luxury CollectionLangkawi90 MYR$29
Sheraton Grand Rio HotelRioUS$20$29
Sheraton MauiMauiUS$20$29
Schloss FuschlSalzburg20 EUR$30
Sheraton Mallorca ArabellaMallorca20 EUR$30
Sheraton Grand Mirage ResortGold CoastAUD 30$31
Sheraton Mirage Port DouglasPort DouglasAUD 30$31
Sheraton Iguazu ResortPuerto IguazuUS$22$32
St Regis Abu DhabiAbu DhabiAED 90$35
Le Meridien Phuket BeachPhuket890 THB$36
Westin Dubai Mina SeyahiDubaiAED 100$39
Westin Mission Hills ResortRancho MirageUS$29$42
Le Meridien Fisherman’s CoveSeychellesEUR 30$46
St Regis Saadiyat IslandAbu DhabiAED 120$47
St Regis DohaDohaQR 150$60
Trump TurnberryTurnberryGBP 40$71

It seems like in general, you can get good value at properties in Asia. Of course without visiting the properties I can’t tell you anything about the quality of the food, but if you’re willing to lock yourself into hotel dining in a place like Nusa Dua in Bali (which, let’s face it, doesn’t have an awful lot going on around it) being able feed your kid at all the St Regis restaurants for S$15 a day is a pretty sweet deal. You’re going to want to think strategically about this- how many meals will you be eating in the hotel? Outside of the hotel? Will buying this plan make you feel obliged to eat in the hotel instead of heading out?

Your travels might not involve Starwood properties, so you should know that many other hotel chains offer “kids eat free” type dealies. These sometimes involve booking a special rate, but there are also situations where it’s as simple as showing up at the hotel restaurant and getting a free kid’s meal whenever the adult orders something.

Here are some examples you might find useful. You should definitely check with individual properties when booking, however, as there may be differences among properties in the same brand

  • Holiday Inn– Kids 12 and under eat free at any Holiday Inn restaurant worldwide when accompanied by a paying adult
  • Marriott– Special family rates can be booked that provide Kids Eat Free privileges at restaurants
  • Hilton- Particular properties offer special family rates including Kids Eat Free privileges

 

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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