Catering to Kids

words by > Pam George

*The little ones are getting some special attention at resorts that are now pampering the whole family.

Hotels and resorts around the country have taken a new approach, going above and beyond the call of duty to keep their younger guests happy—and their parents even happier.

Scott Morrison was impressed from the moment he checked into the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grand Lakes. While he registered at the traditional desk, his two daughters—ages 4 and 8—snacked on chocolate-chip cookies and sipped lemonade at a pint-sized registration desk.

“By the time we got to our room, there were two robes and pink slippers already on their bed,” recalls Morrison, a Philadelphia-area resident. “They were a perfect fit. There were rubber duckies in their bathtub, and the maid introduced herself and asked if we’d rather the girls have fruit or granola instead of chocolate at night.”

The kicker, however, was when four-year-old Helena cut her toe and Morrison called the front desk for a bandage. A medic with a kit knocked on the door to clean and bandage the wound. On her heels was a staff person with two teddy bears, one for his injured daughter and another for the other daughter, who might have otherwise felt left out.

Would he return to the resort? “Absolutely,” says Morrison, who has repeatedly told the story to friends and colleagues.

In a simliar way, resorts across the country are stepping up to cater to kids. In part, credit is due to the increasing amount of business travelers whose families are coming along for the trip.

“In America, we’re now trying to find more ways to spend time with our families,” says Bill Price, spa director at the Phantom Horse Spa in the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix. “So if dad has to go on a business trip and there’s a weekend in there, why not bring the family along to participate in some of the resort’s activities?”

Conference-oriented hotels that spot the trend stand to gain a competitive edge. But there is another reason to ramp up kids’ services: the venue can market to families when business travel is down.

Meanwhile, resorts entrenched in their communities are upping kids’ offerings to meet the local demand. Consider the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, where the spa and fitness center haveattracted a large local customer base. The same is true at the aforementioned Pointe South Mountain Resort, which has an athletic club with a significant local membership.

The pressure is also on vacation destinations. “Unique, kid-focused amenities play a very influential role in how and why guests choose a vacation destination,” says Scott Seed, director of resort marketing for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, North America. “It is important to offer a variety of kid-focused amenities to help make that decision easier.”

Consider the Hyatt’s SPAhhhT Youth Spa and its partnership with Cranium, which gives Hyatt guests full access to the Cranium game library at 18 resorts.

Offering kids’ services not only draws immediate interest, but it has a long-range goal. “We see these children as our future loyal Ritz-Carlton guests,” says David Rothwell, manager of the Ritz-Carlton Naples. Many hotels establish their kid-centric approach from the moment their guests walk in the door. The Ritz-Carlton Naples, for instance, children’s registration desk that issues a stuffed animal to each pint-sized guest.

The recently opened Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort features a kids’ concierge at check-in. Families need not make decisions there and then, but the activity list should spark excitement. “The attempt is to engage the kids as soon as possible and let them know that it is their vacation as well,” says Tom Parke, director of sales and marketing for the all-suites resort.

Even so, when it comes to offering the activities, making an impression takes work. “These days you have to have a pretty sophisticated approach to the children, or you’re not going to capture their interest,” Parke acknowledges.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in resort spas, which are increasingly adding services geared towards children. “Kids who are going into their ‘tweens’ definitely want to do what their moms do,” says Sabrina Cormack, the spa director at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. “They want to get manicures, pedicures and facials.” The resort’s spa, which had few children’s offerings when it opened in November 2002, has seen children’s services increase 40% in the past year, says Cormack, who has been with the resort since its start.

The “Razzle-Dazzle” pedicure-manicure targets children as young as five. The ice cream pedicure includes luscious-scented balls that fizz when dropped in the whirlpool foot tub. The “topping” is a butterscotch or chocolate masque, and the scrub smells like sherbet. The little clients can also nibble on a scoop of ice cream while getting the treatment, which is also popular among adults.

At the Phantom Horse Spa in Phoenix, the “Pretty Princess” package, aimed towards girls between six and 11, includes a manicure and a pedicure with glittery polishes. The girls’ hair is styled in an “up-do” for the finishing touch: a jewel-encrusted tiara. “The whole princess craze is running rampant,” Price notes.

At least 50% of the children get a spa treatment at the same time as a parent, he says. But when families stay for about a week, the parent and the child may each visit a second time on their own.

Since the way to a kid’s heart is often through his or her stomach, the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa offers the Kids in the Kitchen cooking program. Held in a 15,000-square-foot banquet kitchen, the class lets kids participate in the entire culinary process, from preparing ingredients to eating the final dish. The chef’s hat and apron are for the kids to keep.

The Hilton Fort Lauderdale, which has in-suite kitchens, offers a family grocery package that could include juices, snack items and cereals (families can also request special items using a grocery list).

As is the case with adult amenities, little things mean a lot. The Ritz-Carlton Naples sends a bucket of goodies to the room that might include a beach ball, sunglasses and toys. The Hilton Fort Lauderdale provides kids’ bath treatments and a coloring book that illustrates the Hilton’s approach to hospitality.

“Just as much as we want to take care of mom and dad, we want the kids to know they are a focal point, too,” Parke says. “It is an artful balance.”