MM Cloutier
From playgrounds to game arcades, years of efforts to expand the enjoyment of children have come to fruition at Palm Beach resort hotels, and the boom in family travel has increased interest in children’s amenities.
In the wake of the pandemic, parents across the country are using travel as a way to give their children extra time.
Most families planning trips in 2023 say their kids are the reason, according to an October survey by the Family Travel Association and the New York University School of Hospitality. Palm Beach hoteliers haven’t forgotten either.
Tricia Taylor, executive vice president and general manager of The Breakers, told the Daily News:
Offering it to guests of all ages, she said, inspires loyalty, including “little kids who grow up to remember The Breakers as a special place.”
Gone are the days when Palm Beach catered primarily to adult visitors, such as early 20th-century industrial captains and their wives. Mohamed Elbanna, the regional vice president and general manager of Four Seasons Palm Beach, told The Daily His News that family travel has been booming in recent years, with a “significant increase” last year. increase.
Island hoteliers say it’s important to provide activities for the whole family, including grandparents.
The town’s seaside resorts do well, with multiple pools and recreational beachfronts.
Founded in 1896, The Breakers has long been a staple of kid-friendly activities. But he’s seen particularly rapid growth since 2003, when the hotel opened his 6,100-square-foot game-and-activity-filled indoor-outdoor family entertainment center, adjacent to an Italian restaurant complete with a pizza oven. have achieved.
Near the center, a 4,500-square-foot playground opened by 2010 and has been updated several times. The 2021 redesign features a multi-dimensional marine theme with fish, sea turtles and octopuses in slides, tunnels and bridges.
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“Inspired by The Breakers’ oceanfront location, it pays tribute to the spectacular marine life and coral reefs located just a few fin kicks from the shore,” said Communications Director Sarah Flight.
One of the four pools on the 140-acre hotel grounds offers a zero-depth entrance, and nine of the 10 restaurants offer children’s menus.
In addition to a spa for adults, The Breakers has a spa for kids. Services there include a vanilla cupcake-scented manicure. His use of vanilla cupcake scents for kids was inspired by the hotel’s Mary Lily’s Ice Cream His Parlor, which opened in the hotel in 2018.
A 9-hole mini golf course will be added in 2021, enriching the other sports available at the hotel, including basketball and tennis.
“There’s always something new and exciting to experience at The Breakers,” said Taylor, noting that the hotel invests an average of $25 million in facility improvements each year. “Many parents who have visited as children love to bring their children home to carry on the tradition.”
Four Seasons also focuses on amenities for children. The Four Seasons brand entered Palm Beach with his $2 million investment in 1994, merging with the Ocean Grand Hotel.
After the six-acre hotel launched a summer camp-like children’s activity program, Kids for All Seasons (ages 4 to 12), it built a game-filled entertainment center on site in 2003.
The Toddler Room and Teen Games Room followed. His second pool opened in 2018 during a full facility renovation.
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Meanwhile, in 2021, Four Seasons Flories, the only U.S. restaurant owned by three-star Michelin chef Mauro Colagreco, will offer guests free kids’ cooking classes (from decorating cookies to making pizza). has started.
Polo lessons for kids (and adults) are also offered as part of a polo-themed family vacation package. American polo pro Nic Roldan teaches lessons at the International Polo Center in Wellington.
“He also came to the Four Seasons one day last season and gave lessons on foot[instead of polo ponies]and the kids loved it,” Four Seasons communications manager Irene Sturgis told the Daily News. “We’re always trying to enhance our children’s programming by thinking about how great kids are on vacation.”
In nearby Manalapan, children were the main driving force behind the multi-million dollar 2021 renovation of O’Palm Beach Resort. A highlight of the new facility on the 7-acre site is a children’s activity center near the outdoor water splash area.
Staffed by ages 3 to 12, the Loggers Club features colorful marine-themed murals, arts and crafts areas, and high-tech features.
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The 4-foot-tall light wall lights up with 1,300 colored pegs that can be rearranged to design your image. Among other things, a mini-theater for movies and plays has tiered seating shaped like sand dunes, and his teenage club called Hide Away features karaoke, virtual reality games, arcades, and more. We offer activities. On weekends, the Kids Night Out program offers supervised activities if parents want to take the night out on their own.
“The family wants to reunite,” O’s marketing director Michelle Phillips told the Daily News. “We are doing a reconnection…totally easy.”
Despite its small size, the Palm Beach boutique hotel is expanding its offerings for children. For example, The White Elephant has rooms reserved for families with children, complete with toys, games and tents. Complimentary flavored shaved ice is served poolside, and hotel carts regularly offer ice cream sundaes and more.
Responding to the needs of family travel, White Elephant Managing Director Bernhard Dürmeier said it meant “creating a customized experience for each group, including children.”