Kids Suite Staycation at Swissotel Chicago

Mason’s birthday was in July, and to be honest I was getting a little emotional thinking that it would be our last birthday celebration as a family of three.  We are very excited for baby #2 but Mason was our one and only for four years!  I know I’m totally being biased but Mason is such a good kid.  He didn’t really go through the terrible 2s or 3s (hopefully his 4s are a breeze too), taking him to restaurants is quite easy, he spoils me with hugs and kisses, is polite, eats anything… I can go on and on.   

The two weeks leading up to Mason’s birthday our family was extremely busy.  Along with early AM clients, I was spending 4 hours in the afternoon teaching fitness classes at a high school.  Each class had about 30+ students in it.  I was also planning Mason’s pizza making birthday party for him and his 15 friends.  I even customized chef aprons for each kid.  Oh, and I’m 5 months pregnant with a husband that was out of town for work.  Needless to say I was starting to feel burnt out.  A bunch of family came into town that week too, and I had little energy to host them at our house. 

Knowing the weekend of Mason’s party was going to be lots of running around the city and family hang outs, I connected with Swissotel for a 2 night staycation, and they came to our rescue by generously gifting our family the Kids Suite for the weekend! I always tell my husband that if he ever wants to show me love, do something for me or arrange a way for it to get done so I don’t have to do it.  So right now my primary love language would definitely have to be acts of service.  When your day is filled with serving others, a staycation is a must!  Give me all the room service, valet service, cleaning service, and all the hotel amenities Swissôtel offers.  All acts of service that I love and make my life easier.  Side-note:  Google “Love Language Quiz” to find what yours is.  

Throwing a children’s birthday party uses up a lot of energy.  In the past hosting Mason’s birthday parties exhausted me and you might hear the same from other parents.  This year it was the opposite.  Because we had our Swissotel stay during what would have been a crazy weekend, I actually felt restored and reenergized.  The most important thing was that I felt completely present for Mason and my family.  I celebrated WITH Mason, not just for him.  It was important to us that we celebrate his 4th birthday in a big way and it would not have been possible without the Swissotel’s Kids Suite Staycation.  Here’s why: 

Kid Friendly Suite

Right when Mason walked in the suite he rushed in to see a bowling ball game set up for him to play.  Watch his reaction here, it’s the cutest.  The rest of the suite had board games, stacking blocks, puzzles, dolls, cars, books, a play tent, coloring books, markers, colored pencils, crayons, bath toys, and so much more.  Swissotel covered every kid activity.  It was absolute perfection.  

Family Gatherings

The Kids Suite was large enough for us to host family playdates.  There were 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a large living area space.  We had 6 adults and 4 kids over for the little ones to play and an in-suite dinner.  It was extremely hot that weekend so thank goodness for all the indoor toys and activities that kept Mason and his cousins entertained.  Even though there were three televisions in the suite Mason and his cousins didn’t really need the screen time with all the fun they were having. Our suite had the best view of Navy Pier so we were able to see the fireworks which we totally told Mason it was part of his birthday surprise ha!

Location

Swissotel is in the heart of downtown which makes getting to popular downtown spots like Magnificent Mile, restaurants, shopping, and museums really easy.  Everything was walking distance or quick uber rides.

Hotel Services

The customer service at Swissotel was wonderful.  Like I said, acts of service is my love language and they definitely know how to speak it.  I didn’t really have to lift a finger during our stay.

Dining

As a mom I’m always cooking and prepping meals.  It was nice to take a break from the those responsibilities for the weekend by eating at The Palm and Amuse.  Two days without having to clean dishes was such a luxury.  

 Wellness + Fitness

A restorative weekend is not complete without a quality workout.  Swissotel’s new Penthouse Fitness Centre is insane.  It’s not your basic hotel gym.  There’s over 3,000 square feet of wellness and fitness space.  They had a Vitality Lounge with smoothies, fruit infused water, and a beautiful kitchen lounge space with large TVs.  The strengthening equipment and cardio machines were new, and they had every workout accessory you can ever want.  Their studio was beautiful and equipped with Peloton bikes.  My husband was pleased to see that they had a punching bag and he said it was the nicest hotel gym he’s ever used.

Our entire family had the best time, and Mason even asked me if we can move in!  See the suite for yourself on my Instagram story highlights under “SWISSOTEL” in my bio.  If you’re thinking of a family friendly staycation at Swissotel Chicago you can book your Kids Suite stay here.  I HIGHLY recommend going for a 2-night stay to get the full affect.  Have fun, relax, and enjoy!

An enormous amount of gratitude to Swissotel for gifting us this stay. THANK YOU!

Photographer: Hannah Schweiss

Family Staycation at Conrad Chicago

Just like couples, families can get in a funk.  Lately, Matt has been extremely busy with work.  Mason was stuck at home sick and has been throwing more tantrums than normal.  I've been feeling a little disconnected from family with my busy schedule around the city teaching classes, private clients, and events.  A vacation would have to be planned way in advance and we needed something right now.  Matt and I have done staycations in the past to reconnect, so why not make it a family thing!  So for this past Father's Day weekend, I decided to surprise my guys with a staycation at Conrad Chicago for some much needed family time.  

Conrad Chicago was perfect for our little family getaway that gave us meaningful memories and, most importantly, the space to reconnect to each other.  We wanted a weekend of just doing NOTHING, and to get away from the stress of our house renovations.  With the hotel location right off of Michigan Avenue, it was convenient to take a quick walk to all the shopping when we (of course) noticed we forgot a few things.  It's not a complete family getaway unless you forget something, am I right?!

For a couple of days we did not worry about schedules, work, or time.  Here are some of my favorite highlight of our stay:

A break from electronics.

Like most people, Matt and I spend hours working on our phones and laptops throughout the day...and sometimes even evening.  During our stay, we wanted to disconnect from our electronics.  No emails or scrolling through social media during meal times.  That's typically a rule for us, but we did our best to break away from the phones even when we were just walking around the hotel or lounging in our room.

A Father's Day gift to Matt was a book, Daily Stoic.  It's a great read that gives you daily mindful intentions.  He took advantage of the break we took off of our devices to immediately dive in.  We both love it so far.  I've linked it at the bottom of this post for you!

Family Friendly Dining.

NOYANE for dinner was a no brainer.  Matt and I attended their opening in May to preview the new menu.  The food is so damn good!  We also can never get enough Japanese food haha!  It's so conveniently located at the rooftop of Conrad, and when you're toting a toddler around you keep it simple.  With plenty of gorgeous city views, food to die for, and a perfect summer night breeze we couldn't ask for a better spot.  We also figured that being on a rooftop would muffle the moments when Mason got a little loud, which inevitably is going to happen when you have an almost-three year old with you.  He did end up throwing a tiny tantrum when Matt ate the last chip from the California Roll Nachos, his favorite thing on the menu besides the shaved ice dessert.  You have to order the sticky ribs too.  It's a must!

***Bonus tips to get your toddler to sit through a meal at a restaurant (or anywhere): make sure they are ready to eat.  We eliminate snacking when possible or at least several hours before our reservation.  Order food immediately.  Mason is hungry (not starving or hangry) so by the time the food comes, he wants to eat instead of mess around.    

No plan, plan. 

Like I mentioned earlier, we dropped our schedules for the weekend.  I noticed that frustration can happen when we set these perfect expectations for family activities leaving us disappointed when they don't workout.  So, zero plans were made.    

Family Photoshoot.

Okay, I lied.  We had ONE thing planned.  It was a 30 minute family photoshoot with Hannah Schweiss.  I had to take advantage of the beautiful interior of Conrad Chicago.  I made it super low maintenance with the first part of the shoot taken in bed with robes.  You can find Mason's robe HERE!  The other half of the shoot was just exploring the hotel lobby.  Doesn't it always feel like it's the mom that's behind the phone or camera taking pictures?  Hiring a photographer to do it for you gives you the freedom to be in the moment and not have to worry about capturing the memories yourself.

Our time at Conrad Chicago was short and sweet.  Sometimes just bringing it back to basics of quality time, good food, and having no agenda can go a long way.  What simple things bring your family closer together?