Along with the new perspectives and golden memories that family travel brings, parents and caregivers face the additional accommodation costs of traveling as a group.
Four out of five (81%) parents plan to travel with their kids this year, and most of those (84%) intend to stay in a hotel. However, the cost and availability of family rooms are among the main concerns for family bookers, according to a recent Family Travel Association (FTA) survey. Still, when sofa surfing is no longer an option, it is possible to find a low-budget hotel that provides rest, comfort and sustenance without charging a fortune — as long as you know where to look.
To bring attention to the issue and offer a guiding hand, NetCredit has identified the highest-rated budget hotel for families in every state and major U.S. city.
Key Findings
- Fenway House Hotel in Fennimore, WI, is America’s best budget hotel for families, with an average rating of 9.2 out of 10.
- In California, the best hotel with affordable family rooms is the Hyatt Place Vacaville, with an average rating of 8.9.
- The best budget hotel for families in Florida is the TownePlace Suites in Port St. Lucie (average rating 9.0).
- New York City’s highest-rated budget hotel is the San Carlos Hotel in Midtown East (8.8).
The Best Budget Hotels for Families in America
America’s best budget hotel for families is the Fenway House Hotel in Fennimore, Wisconsin. Fenway House’s average rating is 9.2, and 76.1% of reviewers leave a rating of 9.0 or more. We found a room for two adults and two children for as little as $110 per night. The hotel was built in 2018 with steel, rock, brick and concrete to make it one of the area’s first fireproof buildings, and it retains its authentic vintage feel today. The Fenway House is family-owned, and there “are always homemade goodies for breakfast and plenty of other options too,” according to one reviewer.
Four of the top ten budget hotels are in Colorado, and three are in Ohio. Colorado’s hotel industry is one of the busiest in the country, and the area is currently enjoying a hotel construction boom. “Drive-to destinations such as Colorado Springs are poised for long-term benefits,” says John Kelley at Denver-based commercial real estate consulting firm Newmark Valuation & Advisory. “As consumers begin tightening their belts on discretionary spending, the appeal of accessible locations like Colorado Springs is expected to rise.”
TownePlace Suites Port Saint Lucie is a three-star Marriot hotel, a short trek from the Florida coastline. With an average rating of 9.0 and some 76.2% of reviewers giving it 9.0 or above, this TownePlace Suites hotel is Florida’s best for a family on a budget and the second best in the country. You can find every state’s best budget family hotel on the map below.
Wyoming’s best is another independent business. The Historic Hotel Greybull is on the National Register of Historic Places, having been built in 1916, and has been lovingly restored to its original style since 2008. Guests give it an average rating of 8.8 out of 10, with affordable family suites and cheaper economy rooms available. The Bighorn National Forest is nearby, and Yellowstone National Park is two hours away; the Devil’s Kitchen fossil beds are also just down the road and are a treat for young geologists and bone hunters.
The Best Budget Hotel for Families in Major U.S. Cities
Next, we narrowed our search down to major U.S. cities. The Dagny is set in Boston’s first art deco skyscraper and scores an average of 8.5 on booking.com. The building became a hotel in 1999 and set a vacation tone with its “30 different colors of brick, graded from intense heather brown at the bottom to light buff at the top, making the building appear as though it is continually bathed in sunlight.” According to one reviewer, the Dagny “is family friendly, affordable and service is excellent and personable.”
In Hawaii, Waikiki’s best is the Hotel Renew, with an average rating of 8.5. We found family rooms for just $159. Says one reviewer, “our family enjoyed our stay in Renew Hotel coz we liked everything: from the very helpful and cheerful check in staff to the nice clean rooms and cozy beds to the amenities like beach towels, floaters , folding chairs (which we borrowed )to the perfect location.” Another reports that the Renew “is perfect for our family. It’s only a few steps to the beach with a great sunset view plus access to a variety of restaurants and shops.”
The Hotel for You
While America’s noted hotel chains offer reliability and familiarity, the independent hotels, among our findings, come with a personal touch and a unique style and experience. Whichever end of this spectrum suits your family best, it is possible to find good prices if you shop around and are prepared to compromise on certain features.
Every penny saved on accommodation is another to spend on travel or local attractions. With around 107,902 hotels in business across the U.S., it is worth the research to find one that matches your needs and budget.
Methodology
First, we isolated the highest-rated hotels with family rooms that were among the bottom 20% percentile for price nationwide, by state and in major U.S. cities. Nightly prices were defined as the price for two adults and two children (aged 5 and 12) based on publicly available data from Booking.com. Ties for user ratings were separated by the % of 9+ reviews for a hotel. This data analysis was completed in July 2024.
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