When it comes to finding a family-friendly motel, the trick is to find a place that works well for all members of the group. For kids, that might mean choosing a motel with a pool and fun activities. For adults, meanwhile, the ideal situation might include a relaxing place with an in-room kitchenette to prepare meals. Beyond that, Hollywood Beach Hotels owner Marc Eisenmann recommends that families look for places where they know other families will be staying, as well, since it’s important to find a motel where people of all ages are welcome.
Recommendations and Reviews
For families who are just beginning the hotel-hunting search, Eisenmann recommends starting by asking around for recommendations from friends or looking online to read past travelers’ reviews. “You should ideally be looking for a place that has a good reputation and good reviews on the major hotel review sites,” he explains. “But you also have to realize that inevitably, you are going to see a bad review here and there for practically every hotel.”
Not every review should be looked at equally, since there is a chance that a particular traveler may have had a bad time for a reason that was completely unrelated to the service at the hotel. Particularly in the current economy, many people who were used to staying at five-star mega-resorts are being forced to downgrade to more budget-friendly options. Because of their expectations based on past resort experience, however, these travelers are sometimes never going to be happy no matter which budget-friendly resort they choose. “That’s why these reviews should be taken with a grain of salt,” he says.
Eisenmann tells us that the best way to determine how much your family will enjoy a certain motel, on Hollywood Beach or elsewhere, is by looking at reviews that were posted by other families in similar situations. “Plenty of websites will break down their reviews based on the type of guest,” he explains. “Certainly Expedia.com and Hotels.com are two websites that let users filter reviews written by business travelers, couples on a romantic getaway, or families.”
Despite all the ways there are to search for motels online, Eisenmann says that the best way to find a good motel in Hollywood Beach is still by relying on word of mouth and reputation. “At the end of the day, a good property is going to be known as a good property. That is just the way it is,” he says.
On-Site Pools
For families with younger kids, looking for a motel with a pool on site is infinitely important. “If you are going on a trip to Florida, then your kids are inevitably going to want to get in the water,” he says. “But going to a motel that is exclusively beach oriented means that you and your family will pretty much be chained to the beach.”
Although the common notion is that you will want to visit the beach, Eisenmann warns that it can be more difficult to keep track of multiple kids on the beach all day, and the water can be tougher to swim in for novice swimmers. The advantage to parents who choose a Hollywood Beach motel with a pool is that they will have a “much easier time keeping an eye on their kids by sitting in a chair relaxing by the pool than they would at the beach each day.”
Depending on the time of year that you are planning to visit Florida, it might be important to check on whether your hotel’s pool is heated. “Out of three pools at my hotels, one is heated,” Eisenmann says. “If you are coming during the summer, this isn’t important. But if you are coming in the winter, then this is something to check on beforehand, since a non-heated pool in the off-season can be very cold.”
Large Rooms
Finding a motel with large enough rooms to hold both parents plus two or three kids can be difficult in many beach communities. Luckily, Eisenmann says that many of the rooms at his hotel fit the bill. Hotel rooms with kitchenettes allow parents to save money on food costs by buying the bulk of their meals for the week at a nearby grocery store.
In addition, Hollywood Beach motels have the reputation for being kid friendly, and Eisenmann recommends asking in advance whether there are any specific activities or things that the hotel staff will do to entertain the kids who are staying at their property. “In our case, I will sometimes throw a bunch of change into the pool, just so parents can take a break and watch all their kids go diving like fish to pick up the change,” he says.
Eisenmann recommends that anyone looking for a family-friendly motel on Hollywood Beach call the place where they are staying before their trip to determine exactly which amenities are going to be available and whether they should bring anything specific on their vacation.
