Family hospitality just got a royal makeover. Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is rolling out 'Young Royals,' a structured, theme-driven program designed to transform a standard hotel stay into an immersive adventure for children — from a crowned check-in to a castle-themed room setup and a dedicated kids' food and beverage menu.
The program debuts at five Royal Sonesta properties: Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown, Royal Sonesta San Juan, Royal Sonesta Washington DC Capitol Hill, The Benjamin Royal Sonesta in New York, and The Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel Toronto.
The Program Breakdown
Young Royals is built around six distinct experiences. Children receive a plush stuffed animal tied to each property's mascot, a hands-on crown-making kit to wear throughout the stay, and access to a property-wide scavenger hunt called 'The Royal Quest.' A branded coloring and storybook, dedicated play spaces, and in-room or banquet-room castle setups round out the experiential layer.
For hospitality operators watching the family segment closely, the food and beverage component is worth noting. The program includes a kid-specific menu and branded cups under the 'Dine Like Royalty' banner, integrating dining directly into the themed narrative rather than treating it as a standalone amenity. That kind of F&B alignment with a broader guest experience is increasingly central to how full-service hotels compete for leisure families — a trend well documented in restaurant and hospitality industry coverage.
Why Family Programming Is Back in Focus
Family travel has emerged as one of the more resilient leisure segments in the post-pandemic hospitality landscape. Hotels that can deliver differentiated, structured programming for children — rather than a token activity sheet — tend to see stronger ancillary revenue from dining and amenities, as families spend more time on property. Sonesta, ranked eighth largest hotel company in the U.S. by Smith Travel Research with approximately 1,100 properties across 13 brands and 11 countries, is using the Royal Sonesta brand specifically as the testing ground, reflecting the upscale tier's ability to absorb the investment in props, staffing, and curated F&B.
The Young Royals rollout also signals how hotel groups are rethinking children's programming as a retention and loyalty tool. Memorable stays generate repeat bookings — a dynamic that connects directly to Sonesta's Travel Pass loyalty program. For operators considering similar moves, the program's modular design (each element is named and self-contained) suggests it was built to scale or adapt across additional properties over time. Brands pursuing comparable family-friendly hospitality strategies will be watching how the themed dining component performs alongside the activity suite.
Sonesta has not disclosed pricing for the Young Royals package or a broader rollout timeline beyond the initial five properties.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
