For one reason or another, we’ve stayed at Embassy Suites two separate times in the past two weeks. I booked the Doubletree near Disney Springs during our daddy daughter delay which I found family friendly, but Embassy Suites (also Hilton) tops it. My wife stayed in the Charleston property and finally for the last two nights we’ve stayed at Embassy Suites Charlotte.
What have I learned? Just how family friendly Embassy Suites can be! I’ve often spoken about how apartments like AirBnB make more sense for my young family, but perhaps I need to do more research. Embassy Suites represents a great middle ground – here are some quick hit reasons why.
You get a suite regardless of your status
Amol posed a fun question the other day:
Random question for twitter: what are the minimum things a hotel suite should have above a regular room?
— Amol (@PointsToPointB) February 11, 2017
I’d advise you read through those responses for some amusement. I think a good rule of thumb is that a suite should have a separate room with a separating door. People rave about Hyatt’s confirmed diamond suite upgrades (and now Globalists are entitled to suite upgrades if available too).
Well, at the family friendly Embassy Suites, every room comes with a separate living area. How did I not know this!? This obviously comes in super handy when traveling with sub 5 year olds. The baby can nap separate from everyone else, parents don’t have to sit in the bathroom with the light on, etc. etc.
As far as I can tell, you can only receive one upgrade at this particular Embassy Suites – to the Presidential Suite. But hey, everyone enjoys a suite when you stay here.
Having a pool to yourself is nice too
Free made to order breakfast
Breakfast matters. One of the reasons I love staying in apartments is we can cook our own breakfast. My sister’s family, my family, and my parents went through 24 eggs in four nights in Charleston this past week!
Embassy Suites comes with free hot breakfast, including made to order omelettes. That means we can just wake up and roll downstairs to eat breakfast. That also means we don’t need to worry about buying groceries or cooking eggs without oil.
Complimentary drinks at night
Sometimes parents just need something to take the edge off. Every night, Embassy Suites has a happy hour with some light appetizers. You also get a few drink coupons to get free drinks – some pretty nice stuff. I had a scotch and M had an orange juice. Everyone had cheese and crackers.
Options for adults and kids alike!
Refrigerator, microwave, and no minibar
If you have kids, you know that they often wreak havoc with the minibar. Especially egregious? The minibars that get triggered electronically! Thankfully, the family friendly Embassy Suites rooms come with both a refrigerator and a microwave, both with nothing inside of them!
That means you have the utility of an entire fridge for milk, fruit, yogurt, etc. You have a microwave to heat up leftovers if you’ve eaten out, and at any Embassy Suites you can guarantee that those things will be in your room.
Final Thoughts
One of the toughest things about family travel can be deciding where to stay. While I still might gravitate towards apartments, the family friendly Embassy Suites is quickly shooting up my list. Plus, at 30,000 points a night while we were here in Charlotte (a busy time due to the CIAA basketball tournament), the price is right too! Where are some hotels you enjoy taking your kids, young and old?
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