Once upon a time, kids were afterthoughts to hotels that, instead, targeted business travelers and the grown-ups who were carrying the credit cards (or travelers checks as the case used to be). But as more and more families began traveling, hotels soon discovered that making kids happy while on a trip meant making parents happy. From providing amenities like cribs, in-room tents and tot-friendly toiletries to children’s programs in fancy kid clubs at large resorts, you can find hotels catering to you, as a parent, by offering more for your kids. A number of hotels are really upping the game. Here are eight cool features for yours, mine and ours that are blowing away the competition.
Kid Club at Hyatt Zilara Cancun
Personal Ice Cream Cart
The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, with city view rooms ranging from around $350 to $675 per night, will spoil you rotten with a visit from its very own ice cream man. Arriving with a cart stocked with ice cream, awesome toppings and sweat treats, you can request whatever you can dream to create. The hotel also offers pizza-making classes for teens, “chillax” spa treatments and video games, board games and toys available to borrow. Of course, when the hotel is this kid-friendly, you can expect your room to be stocked with gear to make traveling with your children even easier: pint-sized bathrobes, free baby and kids’ toiletries, complimentary diapers and baby equipment, a library of videos and games, and free coloring books and crayons.
Make-your-own sundaes are part of the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago’s ice cream cart, which delivers ice cream and the fixings to your room. (Image courtesy of the hotel.)
Candy Man Delivery
Not to be outdone by its Chicago rival, The Ritz-Carlton in the Windy City skips the sundaes and provides visits to your room from its very own Candy Man. Just one call and a cart full of candy will arrive to delight the kids with a selection of sweet and savory treats. During the holidays, kids even get candy canes at turndown, complete with a lovely Ritz stocking. There is also hot cocoa and a chance to decorate holiday cookies. No matter the time of year you visit, kids get spoiled the first moment they walk in the door with the hotel’s Red Wagon Warm Welcome, where kids can select a toy from a toy wagon filled with a fun selection. Deluxe city view rooms start around $230 per night but can reach nearly $500 during the busy summer months.
The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago’s candy man. (Image courtesy of the hotel.)
In-Room Tents
Be it summer or a snow-covered winter, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek beckons families to “glamp” — indoors. From the comfort of a room or suite at the slope-side resort, you can request the in-room camping experience, where a teepee, sleeping bag and even a comfy faux firepit await. While you can’t roast marshmallows at this firepit, you will receive a s’mores kit with milk chocolate, graham crackers and homemade marshmallows from room service to make ooey-gooey treats. (The resort also offers outdoor firepits and a s’mores happy hour to enjoy the real thing.) Oh yes, and the kids get a pair of cozy PJs to complete the experience. Rates during ski season can be as high as $900–$1,000 per night (so use 30k World of Hyatt points per night), but the hotel can be had for value pricing (sometimes less than $300 per night) during the warmer summer months.
In-room tents at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek. (Image courtesy of the hotel.)
Camping Butlers
Of course, you can also elect to enjoy the real deal and combine the ultimate in glamping with s’mores featured as a delectable art form at Montana’s Resort at Paws Up. The glamorous resort offers glamping tents from May through October (hotel rooms and cabin rentals are available year-round) with hardwood floors, A/C and heat, en suite baths with claw-foot bathtubs and plush beds — yes, beds! — with fine linens. Camping butlers prepare breakfast, keep firepits stocked, play with kids, serve up a five-course, family-style dinner and teach s’mores-loving kids how to make the perfect combination of marshmallow and chocolate. The resort takes its s’mores so seriously; it even has a “s’moreology” program and serve up gourmet options at its restaurant. The hotel’s 2019 spring break package starts around $600 per person and is inclusive of accommodations, meals, nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages and an activity credit of $500 per person per stay.
The Resort at Paws Up offers camping butlers who will teach kids the art of making the perfect s’more, while pastry chef Amanda Rockman’s delicious s’more desserts are a feature. (Image courtesy of the resort.)
In-Room Kid Forts
Not all cool amenities are restricted to luxury resorts. Just outside Mesa Verde, away from the RV campgrounds available to visitors of the national park, is the Holiday Inn Express (from 25,000 IHG Rewards Club points per night). Most rooms at this modest-priced hotel are comfortable, but request the Family Suite and your kids will spend the night in a fort. Kids won’t need to strip the blankets off the beds to enjoy their privacy; Fort Holiday is an in-room fort with bunk beds that can sleep four kids, a library of kids’ books, a desk with crayons and a TV just for the kids. While kids enjoy their fort, mom and dad have their own TV, king-sized bed and sitting area to enjoy, especially after a long day in a car hearing, “Are we there yet?”
Holiday Inn Express Mesa Verde’s Fort Holiday can be found in the hotel’s Family Suite.
Record Players and Vinyl Libraries
California’s cool vibe can be found along its SoCal coastline, where Woodies topped with surfboards are a staple. At Kimpton: The Goodland (from 50,000 IHG Rewards Club points per night), just outside of Santa Barbara, kids can get into the surfer groove with surf lessons and retro tunes via in-room record players and a selection of vinyl. The record players are portable, and the hotel welcomes you to bring them with you on picnics at the beach. The boutique hotel’s love for music extends into live music events at the property, and the entire family can enjoy the music while relaxing by the pool, not to mention special events like s’mores on Monday nights and trivia nights. And, don’t forget about the secret password that will score your kids a free gift at Kimpton hotels.
Kimpton: The Goodland in Santa Barbara goes retro with vinyl and record players. (Image courtesy of Kimpton Hotels.)
Kid-Sized Private Art Studios
America has not cornered the kid-friendly amenities market. Head south of the border to San Miguel de Allende and you’ll find a Rosewood Hotel keeping up with its rivals. The Central Mexico town is known for inspiring artists, and the hotel hopes you’ll find it so inspiring, you’ll take advantage of their Inspirational Art Amenity. Kids can enjoy a basic painting kit with brushes, sponges and paint, along with a kid-sized easel and bare canvas, ready for your little Picasso’s creations. Adults can have their own grown-up kit to make it a family affair. Spacious rooms, 570 square feet, can be had for around $375 per night.
Rosewood San Miguel de Allende offers an Inspiring Artist Amenity. (Image courtesy of the resort.)
Welcome Amenities
Omni Hotels & Resorts’ Omni Kids Crew, at hotels across the country, welcome children to the hotel with a keepsake backpack filled with fun. Kids will find crayons, activity books, stickers, candy, games and more inside, along with milk and cookies delivered to your room during turndown — at no additional charge. (What’s better for parents than free things that make kids happy?) Omni resorts in destinations that truly cater to families often offer additional special experiences for kids, such as Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate’s Elf Tuck-ins during the holidays. Besides the milk and cookies, kids get a bedtime appearance by one of Santa’s elves to read “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and then present your dreamy tot with a Christmas stocking filled with goodies. Rates for a deluxe room range from $149 to $289 per night, depending on season.
Omni Hotels & Resorts feature a Sensational Kids program, with free welcome goodies. (Image courtesy of Omni Hotels.)
Bottom Line
Hotels are really upping the ante when it comes to fun amenities for kids. The next time you make a reservation for a family getaway, inquire about what the hotel may offer to the younger set. You may be surprised to learn about some pretty neat — and free — perks.
What’s the best amenity your child has ever received during a hotel stay?
Americans spend more annually on groceries than any other major household expense that can be easily paid for with a credit card. You should have a rewards card that maximizes this big chunk of your budget. But unlike with travel rewards credit cards where the choices are plentiful, there are only a handful of points and cash back cards that offer groceries as a bonus category — and nearly all of the top choices come from one issuer, American Express.
Still, that doesn’t mean it’s hard to find a card that pays more than 1 cent per dollar on your supermarket shopping. We found five credit cards that pay rewards worth $190 or more annually for the typical household. Consumer expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the average household spends $4,363 on “food at home,” so $190 is enough to buy more than two weeks of groceries for free each year. And if your grocery budget is bigger, you stand to benefit even more from a rewards card tailored for grocery spending.
The 5 Best Credit Cards for GroceriesFirst, let’s take an overall look at the five best cards to have when you’re at the supermarket, ranked by value on grocery spend:
| Earning Rate at US Supermarkets | Annual Fee | Value of Points (based on TPG valuations) | Total Value Per Dollar Spent | |
| The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express | 3x points up to $6,000 per year, then 1x, plus a 50% bonus when you use the card 30 times a month. Terms Apply | $95 | 2 cents each | 9 cents |
| American Express® Gold Card | 4x points up to $25,000 per year; then 1x. Terms Apply. | $250 | 2 cents each | 8 cents |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | 6% cash back up to $6,000 per year; then 1%. Terms Apply. | $95 | N/A | 6 cents |
| Target REDcard | 5% savings on qualifying purchases at Target | None | N/A | 5 cents |
| The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express | 2x points up to $6,000 per year, plus a 20% bonus when you use the card 20 times a month. Terms Apply. | None | 2 cents each | 4.8 cents |
Let’s dive deeper into the details of these credit cards, including not only the bonuses on grocery store spending, but also the total first-year value of each one.
1. The Amex EveryDay Preferred® Credit CardGrocery rewards: Earn 3x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x).
Other rewards and perks: Earn 2x points at US gas stations and 1x points on other purchases. Use your card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 50% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Welcome bonus: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after you make $1,000 in purchases in your first three months.
Annual fee: $95
Estimated annual cash back/points from grocery spending: 13,089 points valued at $262 if you make less than 30 transactions each month (or 19,633 points valued at $393 if you make 30 or more transactions each month)
Keep in mind: Since this card is part of Amex’s Membership Rewards program, points are more valuable than the standard 1 cent each you’ll find with most cash-back cards. According to TPG’s latest valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents apiece. That means for every dollar spent at a grocer, you’ll earn 3 points worth 6 cents. Then if you hit 30 monthly transactions, those 3 points per dollar spent turn into 4.5 points per dollar spent worth 9 cents apiece, making this the most valuable grocery card available.
Taking into account the welcome bonus and annual fee, I estimate a typical card holder who paid for nothing but groceries with this card could earn at least $467 during the first year of card membership. (I did not take into account the potential transaction bonus in this figure.) The information for The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Grocery rewards: Earn 4x points at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (then 1x).
Other rewards and perks: Earn 4x points at US restaurants, 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and 1x points on other purchases. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with your card at participating partner restaurants. Receive up to $100 annually in travel credits when the qualifying airline you choose charges you incidental fees.
Welcome bonus: Earn 25,000 Membership Rewards points after you make $2,000 in purchases in your first three months. Plus, if you apply by Jan. 9, 2019, you can earn 20% back as a statement credit at US restaurants with the Gold card within the first three months of card membership, up to $100 back.
Annual fee: $250
Estimated annual cash back/points from grocery spending: 17,452 points valued at $349
Keep in mind: Although this card has great supermarket and restaurant bonuses, you’ll want to use a different card on gas purchases. Make sure you use the monthly dining credits as well as the annual airline fee credit, since these credits can effectively offset the annual fee.
The average consumer spends $364 per month on groceries, which means the average consumer won’t get the welcome bonus if they only put grocery purchases on the card. So, if we assume that $908 of restaurant spending is also put on the card within the first three months, the typical card holder could earn at least $772 during the first year of card membership when taking into account the welcome bonus and annual fee.
Grocery rewards: Earn 6% cash back at US supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%).
Other rewards and perks: Earn 3% cash back at US gas stations and 1% back on other purchases.
Welcome bonus: Receive a $200 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first three months.
Annual fee: $95
Estimated annual cash back/points from grocery spending: $262
Keep in mind: When it comes to earning grocery rewards, not all stores are treated equally. American Express says you won’t earn 6% cash back at the following types of stores:
Specialty stores like fish markets, cheese shops and wine shops Superstores, like Amazon, Target and Walmart Warehouse clubs like BJ’s ClubIncluding the welcome bonus and annual fee, the typical card holder could earn at least $367 on groceries during the first year of card membership.
4. Target REDcardGrocery rewards: Earn 5% savings on qualifying purchases at Target.
Sign-up bonus: None
Annual fee: None
Estimated annual cash back/points from grocery spending: $218
Keep in mind: Target offers the REDcard as either a debit or credit card. Since this card is only valid at Target, my math assumes you’ll do all of your grocery shopping at Target — it doesn’t take into account any other shopping you might do at the large retailer. Also, unlike with other cards, you won’t actually redeem anything — you’ll just save 5% at checkout.
Since there’s no annual fee or welcome bonus, the estimated first-year value is the same as the estimated grocery spending savings.
(Photo via Shutterstock)
5. The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
Grocery rewards: Earn 2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x)
Other rewards and perks: Earn 1x points on other purchases. Use your card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Welcome bonus: Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards points after making $1,000 in purchases in your first three months.
Annual fee: $0
Estimated annual cash back/points from grocery spending: 8,726 points valued at $175 if you make less than 20 transactions each month (or 10,471 points valued at $209 if you make 20 or more transactions each month)
Keep in mind: I estimate the first-year value of the Amex EveryDay to be worth $375 (not taking into account the potential transaction bonus). This card earns less than the EveryDay Preferred, but it doesn’t have an annual fee. Looking long term, if you’ll only put groceries on these cards then the break-even point between the EveryDay and EveryDay Preferred is when your annual grocery bill is $4,750. If you spend significantly less on groceries annually, the Amex EveryDay card will likely be the better choice. The information for The Amex EveryDay® Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Other PossibilitiesIf you’re willing to put in some work, using business credit cards with an office supply store bonus — like the Ink Business Cash Credit Card or the SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express — to buy gift cards toward grocery shopping could help you earn 5% cash back (up to $25,000 per year for the Ink Cash and up to $50,000; then 1% for the Simply Cash). There aren’t necessarily a lot of grocery options to choose from, however, as Staples is showing just two grocery-related gift cards online: Whole Foods and Safeway. Of course, you may find more options in the chain’s physical stores. The office supply chain limits online gift card purchases in any one order to $2,000 or less “due to federal anti-money laundering regulations.”
There are also two other cards that have lower grocery reward returns, but when combined with their welcome bonuses and lack of an annual fee, offer high overall first-year value. Those are the Chase Freedom Unlimited with a first-year return of $215 and the basic Hilton Honors Card from American Express with a first-year return of $581.
You can find great savings on groceries in an unusual spot — office supply stores. (Photo by Passakorn Techamanakitchaikul / EyeEm / Getty Images)
Bottom Line
Everybody needs groceries, so you should be taking advantage of a card that offers bonus categories for supermarket shopping. Just keep in mind that the best card for groceries may not be the same card you should be using on other transactions, such as when you dine at a restaurant (Amex Gold not withstanding) or fill up at a gas station. But before you head to the grocery store, make sure at least one of the above cards is in your purse or wallet in order to rack up plenty of travel rewards or cash back.
Featured image by Rawpixel via Unsplash.
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