Anyone else find it challenging to travel with kids? I’m pretty sure it’s not just me! Way back in 1952, a father named Kemmons Wilson was sick of being charged crazy amounts to have kids at hotels so he started his own hotel company where kids where not only welcomed but they got to stay and eat for free! That was the beginning of the Holiday Inn brand and that same concept still applies today at Holiday Inn Rotorua.
I’m liking
This was such a lovely hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The hotel is large and the rooms are spacious and the staff were all amazingly friendly. One lovely staff member even took the time to show my kids how to fold their serviettes at dinner time.
The pool was also fantastic and the kids and I spent ages hanging out there. There was a good collection of flotation toys, which were great for the kiddos.
It’s SO great that kids eat free! When you’ve got three kids, buying food for everyone gets pretty spendy. I loved that it was all part of the stay. And on the topic of food, it’s well worth trying out the dinner buffet at Chapman’s Restaurant. It’s not the cheapest meal in town (but again, your kids will eat free so that helps) but my, oh my, was it great. Make sure you leave plenty of room for dessert – that was the highlight for me!
If you join the loyalty programme, you also get late check out (we checked out at about 12:30), which is AWESOME! We went for a bike ride, came back and showered and packed and then headed on our way. They were also happy for us to drop off our bikes before we checked in (and there’s plenty of good bike storage, mountain bikers).
Holiday Inn also has a VIK (Very Important Kids) promotion running at the moment, where kids get a wristband, which gives them discounts at some of Rotorua’s top attractions including: Agroventures, Amazeme Rotorua, Rainbow Springs, Ogo Rotorua and Rotorua Duck Tours. Another way to save money while you’re in Rotorua.
The conclusion
Holiday Inn is a wonderful, family hotel where children are welcomed. Well worth a stay – we’ll be back.
