hotel tips?

We will be taking a little trip and we will be staying in a hotel. We have never done this before and I would LOVE to have advice from people who have done it! We will be taking 2 pack-n-plays for them to sleep in. We will be in the same room as they are. Any tips?

Thanks !!

 

QUOTE(LNC20 @ Jun 11 2008, 08:22 PM) [snapback]822377[/snapback]
We will be taking a little trip and we will be staying in a hotel. We have never done this before and I would LOVE to have advice from people who have done it! We will be taking 2 pack-n-plays for them to sleep in. We will be in the same room as they are. Any tips?

Thanks !!

O gosh, we've made thirty flights thus far and have made lots of hotel stays. I have a typed check list to help me with my packing. My two are a little younger than yours though so my list of essentials might be a little different than what you need because my two are still taking 2 naps a day.

Ask for a quiet room.

I pack a roll of blue painters tape. It won't mar the furniture but it still had adhesive properties. I use this to tape closed the vanity and night stand drawers to avoid pinched fingers. This tape is also great for taping the drapes to the wall to help cut down on the light in the room and taping the center seam of the drapes if they don't close well.

Safety caps for the outlets. I keep a half dozen in the outer pocket of my suitcase. I use them to cover outlets in the hotels. I try not to leave them behind in the hotel outlet but I usually forget one or two.

Move furniture liberally to cover safety hazards. I completely rearrange the room to make it safe. Move fake plants behind furniture, block outlets, create more open space for moving around the room to the extent I can. I put all the knickknacks, booklets, etc away, either in the desk or in the closet in the room.

Disinfectant/surface wipes. I don't pack these but I've heard a lot of others recommend them. For me the dirtiest surface has got to be the floor and there isn't much I can do about that.

If you use some sort of white noise at home, I'd try to take it along with you. We use this wave sound and I've downloaded from Amazon a 42 minute clip of wave and nature/water sounds and I play that on repeat on my blackberry to help drown out the noises of the hotel. People say to tune the radio to a place in between two stations but that just doesn't work for me.

Try to stay organized. When you are crammed in a room it seems even smaller when there are clothes strewn everywhere.

Keep the door to the bathroom closed. My two like to put their hands in the toilet! Ugh. Anyway, a closed bathroom door keeps the toilet paper on the roll as well.

I stayed in three different hotels in three nights two weekends ago and I managed to get suite room on two nights and the third night we stayed in a Marriott Residence Inn that didn't have a suite but it had a living room and a sleeping room with a door between the two rooms. We put the pack-n-plays in the bedroom and slept on the fold out couch. I used the bathroom down the hall near the lobby rather than use the bathroom in the room at night as the door was very squeaky. If you can get a suite hotel, like the Embassy Suites, even tho many of the properties are old, it is sure is nice to have the divided space.

I try to replicate home as much as possible to keep it all familiar. I don't have high chairs at home, we use the Fisher Price booster seats and I fold those down and pack them in the suitcase and feed them using those.

I usually abandon my bath routine for the twins til we get home. I've bathed them in hotel sinks before when they were younger but not recently.

It's hard all being in one room. I did this this past weekend when we were in Chicago. It is hard to stay up late when they are sleeping and it is hard to be quiet enough!

Hope this helps. Happy to answer any other questions.

ETA: Have a great time!

Sotto

 

Sotto gave you some great advice!! A wonderful friend of mine gave me the best piece of advice ever "pack your patience!". It's so true. Have fun!!

 

We've been in hotels with the boys twice, once all in the same room. The one thing we wished we had brought was the monitor, so we could have eaten our dinner together down the hall in a nice sitting area near the elevators. Not all hotels are set up that way, but it might be helpful to bring the monitor just in case. Otherwise you'll be stuck, like we were, trying to get comfortable on the bathroom floor! (Unless you have access to a babysitter, who will be stuck in the bathroom in your place...)

 

Headlights so you can read/play cards in the dark after the kids go to sleep
If you have a fridge in your room you can bring yogurt, milk, lunchable, fruit.........We sometimes have 2 meals a day in our room & go out for one. Depends what the day's activities are.
Kids lap desk, great for eating on or drawing on.

 

We took a trip in May in which we stayed in hotels for 2 weeks in different locations. I was really worried about sharing the room with the girls but it was NO BIG DEAL. We put them to bed a little later than normal so they were extra tired, turned off the main lights but kept on the bathroom light, and DH and I were able to talk softly until it was time for us to go to bed. For naps, we sometimes sat outside the door and read, talked, or visited with family (the reason for our trip). I was very pleased with how sharing a hotel room worked for us. So, I don't have any specific tips (other than bring some toys for the twins to play with) but rather encouragement that you will be able to do it

 

You've gotten some great advice. If you're driving, I would suggest a small pressure gate. We use it to block off the bathroom door. That way if the big boys forget to close it, the babies can't get in and take a dive in the toilet. GROSS We also use one playyard, but they share a crib at home. Ours are also small enough for the car seat swings. So we brought our frames too. Oh, and we bought some new small toys that would keep their interest longer. Hope you have a great trip!

 

I'd take a portable dvd player or laptop so you can watch something after the kids are asleep......it can get boring! Also, I recommend getting 2 queen beds just in case the pack & plays don't work.

 

Wow!! thanks sooo much for the great advice! Your encouragement helped me!!!

 

I always thought that seeking hotel tips for a comfortable stay is always a good idea. Just like Sidney James Mountain Lodge customer service , which is known for being attentive and helpful, it's important to choose a hotel that prioritizes guest satisfaction. A tip for travelers is to always check reviews and services offered before booking to ensure a pleasant experience. Additionally, don't hesitate to communicate with the hotel staff for any specific needs or queries during your stay.