Strollerderby : hotels

Family Sues Over What Kid Found in Hotel Room

JeanneSager — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:40:00 GMT

A Massachusetts family that made a stop-off on their trip home from Florida is wishing they'd just kept on driving north.

Steven and Amy Wolfe and their three kids stayed at the Homewood Suites in Mount Laurel, N.J. for just one night on the trip home to Pittsburgh, Mass. Things went fine until the next morning, when the Wolfes' twenty-two-month-old son picked up something left behind by previous guests and put it in his mouth - something used . . . and made of latex.

You guessed it. Cleaning crews apparently missed a dirty condom left behind by previous occupants of the room, and the Wolfe's youngest child had already swallowed a portion when he started choking and she rushed to his side.

The child is fine - at least choking-wise. But he'll have to undergo further testing to determine if any diseases in the condom might have put him at risk. His parents, meanwhile, are suing the hotel.

From the Philadelphia Daily News: "The suit contends that Homewood Suites and its subsidiaries, Hilton and Blackstone, put the boy at risk by leaving the "life threatening" item in the room and subjecting the boy to an increased risk of contracting a "sexually transmitted disease, including HIV or AIDS, or some other, potentially life threatening, potentially fatal illness."

I already knew hotel rooms were icky. This story highlights why it's so much more difficult to avoid the ick factor when you've got kids. As an adult, I immediately throw off the comforter when I walk into a hotel room, knowing they are often not washed between guests. My three-year-old, however, wants to roll around on the bed just like she does at home. She begs to take a bath in the hotel tub; I refuse.

After reading this, I'm even more inclined to say "Let's drive through the night honey. We can sleep when we get there."

Image: TripAdvisor.com

For Those Teens Puttin’ on the Ritz and the Parents Who Can Afford It

SunnyChanel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:41:00 GMT

I have no desire to be a teenager again. Those years are, thankfully, long gone. But the Ritz-Cartlon is making me wish that I could once again be a teen conveniently aged 13-19. Why? ‘Cos they just launched their Teen Lounge program at a few of their properties in Florida, a place just for the teens where no parents are allowed. Yes, that means you.

At the Ritz Carlton in Naples your teen can chill in the new VUE Lounge that is decked out with Xboxes, Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wiis which are hooked up to 40” LCDs, iMac computer stations, and personal flat screens equipped with DVD Players. The club in Ritz at Amelia Island has flat screen TVs for personal viewing and video game playing, laptops, Ipods, air hockey, foosball and pool as well as their own movie theater. The new teen club Coast in the Ritz in Palm Beach, that opens later in the month (UPDATE: It's open now!), they have equipped with a “state of the art production studio”, a DJ booth, a photography set, along with a pool table. A DJ Booth?! I’m like so jealous.

You know, I’d rather be in the teen lounge than probably anywhere else in the resort. Give me that instead of swimming in the pool, playing golf, or getting a spa treatment. Seriously, they should make an activity club like that for us old folks too.

Yes, the Ritz-Carlton is a pricey place to lay your head, but with activities like these for the whole family, it might end up to be less expensive and more accommodating for all just to shack up here for a little bit. It may be a doable option instead of jetting off to who knows where and have your teen utter those dreaded words, “I’m bored”. With these clubs, that won’t be happening. And yeah, don’t even try to lie about your age to get in, you won’t fool anybody.

The Bible for Bitching: How to Complain and Win

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:01:00 GMT

When it comes to family vacations, it's like we're jinxed: Something always goes wrong. Luggage gets lost (one time, it was a carry-on -- how is that possible?). Flights are long gone, despite showing up two hours early. Hotels promise a room with a king and end up giving us a map, pointing us out the door toward places with actual vacancies.

"You know what -- this time, I'm going to write a letter."

I'm pretty sure I've said that after every vacation, and it never gets done. I'm never sure how much charm or how much vitriol to use and really, when it comes down to it, there are bigger things to worry about than lost bags or messed up rooms. (We've got mammoth problems, I know, earth-changing ones.) Still, I was pretty excited when someone sent the SD a copy of "How to Complain for Fun and Profit" by Bruce Silverman, a former ad guy who used extensive traveling mishaps to bulk up on his letter writing skills.

This is like the Bible for bitching -- and getting something out of it. Written in a charming, helpful tone, the book is more how-to than narrative. There are many examples of letters that have worked, but my favorite definitely comes in the chapter -- "How to complain when you're so angry you never intend to deal with those bastards again."

If you've ever thought about writing a letter but seemingly never get around to it, this one is for you. I'm definitely keeping it and just waiting to see what United does to our bags next year. And just try me, hotel. Bring it.

Madeleine McCann: Are You Thinking Twice Now About Hotel Childcare?

Karen Murphy — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:29:00 GMT

The story of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from her parent's hotel room is by now a familiar one. The latest word has it that her parents have been absolved of any role in what happened to Madeleine, but it now leaves parents everywhere wondering what did happen. And for families who travel, there's something else: how much can you trust hotel child care?

I don't travel much with my kids these days, and when I was traveling a lot I wouldn't have considered hotel childcare as an option (that would have been a failure as a parent somehow in my eyes; isn't that crazy?), so I'm not the person to ask about this. But tons of parents rely on hotel childcare so they can get a bit of alone time or have a nice dinner in peace while the kids get enough sleep.

But a family travel website survey showed that the majority of parents surveyed would now be less likely to use hotel childcare services because of the Madeleine McCann story.

What about you? Will this affect your plans? How do you feel about hotel child care anyway?

Photo: caribbeanblog.canalblog.com

Upscale Hotels Cater to Kids So You Don't Have To

Karen Murphy — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:55:00 GMT

Not long ago, I thought the height of hotel travel with kids was discovering that the place had a pool and free breakfast. With extra points if the breakfast contained something other than bread products and cold cereal. But no longer! Now upscale hotels are wooing families by providing way more than the simple babysitting of the past.

For instance? At The Peninsula in New York, kids participating in the kids' programs there receive a personally-engraved silver Tiffany spoon. Too precious for you? (me too) They also offer trips (complete with personal shopper) to FAO Schwarz. How about gold panning and fly-fishing at a Paws Up, a Montana resort? Or bamboo-pole fishing, crabbing and lei-making in Hawaii's Kahala Hotel and Resort?

Of course, not every kid is a candidate for organized activities. I think mine would rather jump on the beds and ride the elevators up and down all day, but isn't that much more fun at, say, The Breakers in Palm Beach than it is at an interstate-side Days Inn? I'll tell my kids to save their pennies.

Strollerderby : hotels

Family Sues Over What Kid Found in Hotel Room

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Destroying Kids As We Know Them . . . Or Not

Kid Dies After Parents Said No to Hib Vaccine

Web Index of Recalled Peanut Butter Products Available

For Those Teens Puttin’ on the Ritz and the Parents Who Can Afford It

The Bible for Bitching: How to Complain and Win

Madeleine McCann: Are You Thinking Twice Now About Hotel Childcare?

Upscale Hotels Cater to Kids So You Don't Have To