How to Convert a Hotel Room into a Suite
OK, so obviously this won’t work in every hotel, but when it does (as it did for us this last weekend in Antwerp, Belgium), it’s fabulous!
We’d splurged on the “Executive Room” at the 4-star Park Plaza Astrid Hotel and made our reservation online. The website wasn’t clear about the room layout, so my Dutch husband called the place to make sure the room slept 4. We got an affirmative and booked.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived to find a gorgeous big room with a lovely king size bed that we could barely walk into due to the 2 roll-away beds plopped right in the middle of it.
Here’s what we did:
- First we pushed the desk away from the window and slid a roll-away bed into its place.
- Then we slid the other roll away between the king size bed and the wall (again, under the window).
- Finally we closed each blackout curtain across the window and then pulled the decorative outer curtain over the roll away, making tents.
The kids loved their cozy private spots, and we loved that we didn’t have to hang out in the bathroom until they fell asleep. Once they were out, we even watched an English movie on the flat screen TV with the volume on low. Lovely!
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We at Travel Savvy Mom are big believers in rearranging hotel furniture. Read all about it in our Top Ten Family Travel Tips You Can Actually Use.
October 10th, 2008 | by Jenny Jensen 10 comments
1. Kacey on October 11th, 2008
That’s the way to be creative! You need to do that when you travel with kids!
2. Rebecca on October 11th, 2008
Brilliant. Totally brilliant. Why have I never done this furniture rearranging thing?
3. Kayt Sukel on October 11th, 2008
I see some furniture rearranging in my future…
4. Jane on October 11th, 2008
Gosh. Usually I DREAD staying in hotels, but this has given me inspiration. Thanks.
5. Mara on October 11th, 2008
I’m loving this. We’ve got a trip coming up where we are all in the same room – I’m definitely going to get creative!
6. Jamie Pearson on October 12th, 2008
This reminds me of the time I was determined to shove a Pack N’Play into a hotel closet that was not quite big enough. Somehow I managed to get it in.
Out? Notsomuch.
7. Jenny on October 14th, 2008
Another great idea for the kids!! All the space to keep them occupied
8. Elisa on October 14th, 2008
What a lovely room! We have never had the opportunity to use the curtains so creatively, but I will definitely keep this tip in mind, thanks.
We reserve king-size executive rooms where available as well. Being very tired of hiding in bathrooms (as you mentioned) until our two-year-old falls asleep, we take along our own ‘suite’ solution: a pop-up toddler tent (folds down in the luggage much smaller than a pack’n'play). We cover the tent carefully with a hotel blanket, allowing for ventilation while giving our daughter a nice dark place to rest. We carry a sleep machine as well to give us all some white noise and allow for adult conversation.
9. BRash on November 3rd, 2008
That would never work for my kid, who’s 2 and still sleeps in a crib and needs almost complete darkness and quiet. We were pretty much relegated to the bathroom until one time we somehow got a hotel room that was handicapped accessible. The bathroom was so huge we stuck the pack n’ play in there! Viola! Quite, dark, and we are free to do as we please – all we had to do was quietly use the bathroom in the dark. So that’s my tip – book and handicap room if you need crib space.
10. Kim@Galavanting on November 3rd, 2008
Go girl!
Jamie: Heh, I have a very similar pack ‘n play experience.
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