New York City Feature

Many New York hotels go out of their way to accommodate families, with special amenities and family-size rooms. However, a hotel claiming that it's child-friendly doesn't always translate to true kid-welcoming style. Ask if cribs come with linens, whether there are high chairs and children's menus in the dining room, and if there are in-house babysitters. Some hotels will even clear out the minibar (for bottle or baby-food storage), baby-proof a room, or provide baby-proofing materials. Here are some of the top picks for traveling with kids.

IN THE BAG. At Aloft hotels in Harlem and Brooklyn, kids receive a sleeping bag, coloring tools, and even popcorn in their own bag. And many rooms at Aloft New York Brooklyn can be conjoined to create family-friendly suites.

SUITE LIFE. Space is at a premium in New York hotels, and if you have more than two people in a standard room, you'll really start to feel the squeeze. The answer? A suite, where you can spread out in style. The Embassy Suites New York, a tried-and-true family option, is even more kid-friendly in New York, because it's in the same building as a multiplex movie theater and several reasonably priced dining options. With renovated, spacious suites, Affinia 50 is the family hotel of choice on the residential East Side.

PURE PAMPERING. Just because you have children in tow doesn't mean your dream of a pampering vacation needs to go down the drain. Several top New York hotels go out of their way to accommodate families. The Mandarin-Oriental offers complimentary kids' DVDs and video games, and free coloring books and crayons for kids.

FUN FLAVOR. Room Mate Grace might make the perfect respite if you have teens in tow. There's a funky lobby pool, a kiosk that stocks sweets with which to fill the in-room refrigerators, and rooms with bunk beds that levitate out of the walls and have their own plasma TVs. At the hip Hotel on Rivington a special family suite has two full bedrooms, one with two sets of bunk beds and a big bin of toys, two full baths, and a Japanese tub. Bonus points: the hotel is across from Economy Candy.

KID KARMA. Family-friendly Le Parker Meridien has a large pool, a restaurant that serves decadent breakfast foods such as chocolate French toast until 3 pm, and a casual dining spot, Burger Joint, that serves nothing but burgers and shakes.

KID-SIZE. At the 70 Park, Eventi, and Ink48 (all Kimpton Hotels) kids get their own minisize animal-print robes (also available for purchase) so they can feel just like their grown-up travel companions.

TEA FOR TWO. At the Plaza, fanciful children of all ages will revel in dress-up clothes, formal tea service, and film screenings that are all part of the Eloise-theme experiences that seek to re-create the fictional character's time at the iconic hotel.