Hotels offer ways to help young guests sleep tight

While hotels have long focused on giving adults a good night’s sleep, a few are creatively enabling their youngest guests to tuck in peacefully.

Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island, Hawaii, for example, recently introduced a children’s turndown service with a cultural dimension: Parents can read stories of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and the creator of the Hawaiian Islands, to their children from flashcards (free to Lagoon Tower guests).

The Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in Florida has a “Pirate Tuck In” bedtime story option with costumed actors as well as a real blue and gold macaw, homemade cookies and milk, and a faux treasure chest that is brought to the room to familiarize children with the island’s buccaneer history. Available Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm to 9pm; Great Wolf Lodges offer pajama stories by the fireplace at 8pm. (free to guests).

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At the RiverPlace hotel in Portland, Oregon, “Bedtime Butlers” pay visits at random, bringing surprises that include books, robes, hot chocolate and stuffed animals from 6pm to 9pm, four nights a week.

The Lorien Hotel & Spa in Alexandria, Virginia, has a “Dream Service Menu” that includes a library stocked with children’s titles like Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”; guests are free to borrow books along with night lights and humidifiers.

Others have developed sleep-inducing spa treatments specifically for children. At Rosewood San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, a Cocoon Massage employs a natural lavender patch to soothe the nervous system (ages 6 and older for 60 minutes). GoldenEye in Jamaica recently introduced a children’s spa menu with a relaxing soak in an outdoor tub, followed by a full-body massage (ages 8 and older for 50 minutes).

Bjorn Hanson, a clinical professor at New York University’s Tisch Center, said that research has shown that children often do not sleep as well when traveling, and such industry-wide initiatives are much needed. “The last time such broad attention was given to guests traveling with children was about a decade ago, with kid-friendly rooms and activities,” he wrote in an email.

© 2015 New York Times News Service

12-05-2015