Are there any hotel chains that cater to large families? Other than exploring the option of two adjacent rooms with a common door*…
I was surprised to find a room at a Great Wolf Lodge that can sleep six. I say it’s rare (when searching more common hotel chains), but my wife is convinced we can find such rooms at Comfort Inn and Suites or Holiday Inn Expresses (HIEs), our preferred chains. (Our two kids just bug each other and this would eliminate a lot of nonsense.) So, how can I find other REAL suites for more than a family of four? I am asking for the interim overnight stays before / after arriving at Great Wolf, btw.
*It may come down to this, but trying to keep this insane family together in one room.
Once while traveling with my parents, sister, and aunt, we stayed at a Super 8 where we actually got a suite with four beds, so in theory I guess it could sleep eight people if everyone is willing to share a bed (obviously not required in our case). IIRC they asked for two adjoining rooms and were told the suite could accommodate all of us and was cheaper than two normal rooms. I have no idea if this sort of suite is standard for the Super 8 chain or just something unique to that particular one.
I also remember staying in an independent motel in Maine where the unit was actually two rooms. You entered and it just looked like a standard motel room with a bed and a TV and a bathroom at the back, but then next to the bathroom was another door that led to another room with two more beds and another TV. That was cool because my sister and I actually got our own room separate from our parents. I don’t remember the exact number and size of the beds, though. It may have been just one queen in the main room and two twin beds in the second room, so still only room for four people. I just thought it was cool how it was set up to give the kids their own room and therefore worth a mention.
It doesn’t directly answer your question, but some people just get an airBNB and rent the entire house/apartment when they have a large group traveling.
Right now a friend from work is renting her 3 bedroom house, I believe for something like $1500 for a week (I forget the exact figure). But if you assume 4 adults for 7 days, that isn’t a bad price per adult per night.
In my experience, those two chains are pretty basic, and a bit on the no-frills side, and typically cater primarily to travelers who are only going to stay a night or two. I imagine that you might find locations with those chains that have a larger suite or two (like the Super 8 that WildaBeast mentions), but those are probably going to be the exceptions to the rule, and you probably can’t count on any particular Holiday Inn Express to have rooms like that (or that they’d be available on the dates you want).
Embassy Suites, by contrast, typically have a set-up in which there’s a hide-a-bed sofa in the front (living) room, and then a standard hotel room bedroom in the back half of the suite. There are other chains (like Residence Inn) that are often set up that way, as well. That might be a way to keep your kids separated at night, but it’d probably be more expensive than your “preferred chains.”
Places like Great Wolf Lodge are destinations in and of themselves, and specifically cater to families. I know that at the Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells (a similar sort of resort to Great Wolf), they have a lot of bigger rooms / suites / cabins / condos, which are set up for bigger families (or sets of multiple families), and one can get locations with more than one bedroom (but at a higher price).
Hotel rooms that allow six or more are rare because of fire safety / max occupancy rules. The bigger the chain the less likely they’ll push the limits.
RV parks often have camping cabins that sleep 6 or more. Some provide linens and some don’t. The bathroom will be communal. If you just want a place to sleep pretty cheap, these are a viable option.
If you do go for 2 rooms, call the hotel directly and tell them you need the rooms to be connecting because children will be in the other room. This should give you priority (seniors needing assistance are the other group that tends to get it). Be aware if they say they can’t guarantee…They can’t guarantee.
I’d check out extended stay type places since they know that sometimes a family will need to stay for a bit while waiting to get into a new house or whatever.
The other thing I’d do is use a site like hotels.com, but the number of people at 6 and rooms needed at 1. That should narrow down your choices pretty quick.
Interestingly enough, we stayed at a (the?) Days Inn in Cheyenne, WY that had room for six- one king size bed in the main room, and a little kids room off the main suite with two bunk beds in it. Never seen anything quite like that before.
This is my advice for family travel. Our family is medium sized (two adults and two children) and we almost always stay in a three-bedroom-or-more condo/house AirBNB home when traveling. It’s typically been cheaper than two rooms in a nice hotel, in more convenient neighborhoods, better amenities and just generally more comfortable and “home” like than a hotel. It’s always worked out great for us, and we can better replicate our tried and tested standard bedtime routines, etc.
Where are you staying. If you happen to be heading to the Wisconsin Dells (where one of the Great Wolf Lodges is), look at the Kalahari, just across the street. They have have suites (or lodges?) that are essentially like living in a two story, 3/4 bedroom house. They’re more than large enough to have a dozen people living/sleeping in them without everyone tripping over each other. The once or two times I was in one, it had a large TV, pool table and it’s own (regular, full size, outdoor) hot tub.
I have no idea how much they are but IIRC, it’s cheaper than getting multiple rooms.
The suite you describe is very very similar to the “3 Bedroom Frontier Condo” that my friends and I rent at Wilderness (just up the road from Kalahari and Great Wolf in the Dells) for our annual Dungeons and Dragons weekend. Those run about $250-300 a night in the offseason (October) when we go; this time of year (peak season at the Dells), it’s more like $750 a night.
The 2 room suite setup, with a bedroom in the back and a living room with a sleeper sofa in front, is fairly common in hotels near convention centers and other hotels that cater to business travelers. Sometimes you need a private place to hold meetings and conference room space is expensive, especially for independent sales reps and small businesspeople.
But it’s just weird to meet with clients or salespeople in a room with a bed. So that two room setup is very popular.
ETA: The residence type hotels are GREAT for families. Because all ones the I’ve stayed in had full kitchens. It’s a good way to cut down on restaurant expenses
It’s never been my experience that hotels charge for additional occupants. I’ve encountered a charge for a rollaway bed , but I’ve never been charged extra because 4 people are sharing a room with 2 queen beds, rather than two people.
I’ve often seen resorts have “family units” , so I’m not surprised about Great Wolf. As far as regular hotel chains, Staybridge suites have two BR suits and I’m pretty sure the living room has a pull out couch.Most suites/extended stay hotels probably have the same. But you’re not going to find a room that sleeps 6 in a Holiday Inn Express , and even at a Comfort/Clarion, the suite that sleeps six is likely to be a king in one bedroom and two queens in the other, with no living room. I don’t know if that sort of set-up will suit your needs , **Jinx **
Air BnB has come through for us as many people list their odd spaces which they throw additional beds in. Many times at par or cheaper then hotels with the addition of a kitchen which helps save us a lot.
This does not answer your question, which I don’t know the answer to, but are you aware that the Great Wolf Lodge has a significant discount on their rooms if you purchase on the 4th of August?
I almost sent a PM about this because I wasn’t sure what the rules/etiquette is.
I just did a test search at hotels.com for Queen Kapiolani in Waikiki. Two adults - $170, three adults - $259, four adults - $321. There’s no price break for children. This is a mid-range hotel and low price hotels may be more generous in pricing with additional occupants, especially young children. I know one hotel chain advertises no additional charge for children under a certain age.
Edit: Note that for $19 more you may well decide to get two rooms instead of one.
