As school holidays stretch longer and the pressure to balance work and childcare intensifies, a growing number of families are looking beyond traditional solutions and finding relief in an unlikely place: hotels. Across several destinations worldwide, luxury resorts are increasingly offering full-day, structured children’s programmes that function much like summer camps, enabling parents to travel, work remotely and maintain routines while their children are supervised and engaged.
For many working parents, the long spring and summer school breaks present a recurring challenge. Camps often book up months in advance, reliable babysitters are difficult to find and family members may not always be available to step in. While childcare has traditionally been arranged close to home, the rise of remote work and flexible schedules has encouraged some parents to consider alternatives that allow them to combine travel with professional commitments.
Hotels offering educational and activity-driven kids’ clubs are emerging as one such option. These programmes, typically running for a full day, provide children with organised schedules that include outdoor activities, creative workshops and meals, while parents are free to attend meetings or work online. Although these services are not accessible to everyone and largely cater to families who can afford premium accommodation and childcare fees, they are changing how some parents approach summer planning.
One example is Camp Manitou, which partners with select Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii and Auberge properties in parts of the United States. Its Adventure Camp Days, aimed at children aged eight to 17, start early in the morning and include activities such as paddleboarding, snorkelling, surfing, swimming and beach games. The structured format allows parents to rely on predictable hours, making it easier to schedule work during the day.
Travel advisors say consistency is a key factor driving interest in these programmes. Reliable internet connectivity and well-organised schedules are particularly appealing to parents in professions such as consulting, law and technology, where being completely offline is often not an option. For many families, these arrangements allow holidays to continue without sacrificing professional responsibilities.
Parents who use such services describe them as a way to blend work and leisure without the stress that often accompanies travel with young children. By blocking off work hours while children are engaged in supervised activities, families can still spend meaningful time together outside those periods. Some parents say this approach also helps ease feelings of guilt, as children are enjoying enriching experiences rather than being sidelined by adult work commitments.
Similar models are available in other parts of the world. In Scotland, Gleneagles hotel runs a holiday programme for children aged three to 12, offering activities ranging from den building and pottery to archery and woodland skills. In Mexico, all-inclusive resorts such as Grand Velas in Riviera Maya offer extended childcare hours, sometimes late into the evening, while incorporating local culture and traditions into daily activities.
In the South Pacific, resorts like the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Fiji have built their reputation around comprehensive childcare, with age-specific supervision and structured programmes that run throughout the day. Activities often include marine biology lessons, snorkelling, kayaking and cultural introductions, allowing children to immerse themselves in a camp-like environment while parents focus on work or leisure.
While hotel-based childcare camps remain a niche solution, they reflect a broader shift in how families adapt to changing work patterns. For those with the flexibility and means, these programmes are transforming the summer break from a logistical struggle into an opportunity to travel, work and spend time together in new ways.
