Let the kids run the show? - Adults-only hotels are heating up the market | A look at the solutions offered by sustainable Green Pearls® hotels
The "right" way of raising the next generation is a hotly debated topic. The new trend of adults-only hotels is a perfect example of this controversy, stirring passions on both sides. Adults-only means that children are not allowed in the hotel or certain parts of the spa. To do this, adult hotels set a minimum age. This is often 16 years, but can also be 12 or 8.
On the one hand, many travelers see it as an advantage that there are hotels that offer peace, relaxation, and often a full range of wellness and spa services, as well as exquisite cuisine - without children screaming and running around the buffet. On the other hand, it also attracts critics who see the setting of a minimum age as anti-child and exclusionary.
What do the partners in the Green Pearls® network think? What are the reasons for being a sustainable adults-only hotel? Do they support the trend or do they welcome younger guests as well? Have the hotels and accommodations that are primarily focused on sustainable tourism development maybe even found a compromise solution?
Regeneration at the OCÉANO Health Spa Hotel in Tenerife
The OCÉANO Health Spa Hotel is located on the coast in the north of Tenerife, away from mass tourism, and is a place of strength and retreat for a more personalized getaway. Although it is not an adults-only hotel, families with children are rarely found at OCÉANO Health Spa. Because of its focus on regeneration and prevention, it is primarily geared toward adults. However, vacationing with children, especially popular with young parents with babies, is possible. While one parent relaxes in the spa, the other can explore the pool and garden with their offspring. There is no children's program or baby care, but the OCÉANO is happy to help by providing a crib and baby food.
Mutual consideration at the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio
The HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio is well aware of the balancing act between a family business and a leading wellness hotel. Junior manager and host Marc Traubel has two small children of his own. As a classic family business, children should not be excluded, as Traubel sees them as the future, for whom the sustainability initiatives should be beneficial. However, the hotel is not 100 percent child-oriented. The focus is clearly on wellness and spa, mindfulness, and yoga in a unique location high in the mountains and surrounded by the majestic Alps. To ensure that wellness, relaxation, and children are not mutually exclusive, the hotel has established soft "rules", especially at the pool and spa. This is to ensure that guests arriving without children can enjoy a quiet and relaxing time at the pool, while at the same time keeping children out of the water.
Deceleration without kids at the Lifestyle Hotel SAND
The sustainable Lifestyle Hotel SAND at Timmendorfer Strand is committed to carefree vacations on the Baltic coast of Schleswig-Holstein. Guests 16 years and older are welcome. Due to the open concept of the hotel, there is no entertainment or supervision for children, and there are no extra beds in the rooms. The SAND offers a perfect stay for couples, groups of friends, or individual travelers with a successful mix of pure naturalness and hip lifestyle. This is complemented by a relaxed atmosphere and close proximity to the beach. The SAND concept focuses on decelerating its guests with a rooftop sauna on the feel-good terrace and a very special spa offering. A dedicated physiotherapist spends time with guests, discussing their individual needs and developing special massage treatments.
Hotel for everyone, Wellness from Age 12 at STURM
Although the STURM positions itself as a wellness hotel for a relaxing and peaceful break in the countryside, owners Christa and Matthias Schulze-Dieckhoff have decided against an adults-only hotel. However, to ensure that those seeking relaxation will find the peace they are looking for, access to the wellness area is restricted to those over the age of 12. The new garden view rooms are also reserved for adults. The STURM explains this decision by saying that the concept of tranquility is particularly emphasized there. Children are welcome in the main building, however, and the large nature park with a snack garden and natural swimming pond offers plenty of space for exploration.
Love for Children at the Eco-Aparthotel OLM in South Tyrol
The philosophy of OLM Nature Escape is not to be a classic hotel, but a house open to everyone, a place full of empathy and tolerance, where people meet with mindfulness and enjoy their vacation in peaceful coexistence. Everyone, from large families and singles to guests with dogs, should feel at home here when they arrive in the Tauferer Ahr Valley in South Tyrol. There are no special play areas for children in the round building, which is modeled after a mountain pasture. Instead, nature is right outside the door, with plenty of opportunities to run wild. In summer, there are 80 3,000-meter peaks, 400 kilometers of panoramic hiking trails, spectacular biking and cycling trails, and 50 mountain huts and refuges to explore. In winter, the Ahrntal Valley offers 86 kilometers of slopes, cross-country skiing, ski touring, and sledding.
Luxury and nature at ADLER Lodge RITTEN
The ADLER Lodge RITTEN in South Tyrol is particularly popular with couples, but families with children over the age of eight are welcome as well. The arrival alone is unique. From the train station in Bolzano, take the Ritten cable car up to the plateau at 1,200 meters above sea level. The hotel is happy to pick up guests at the top station. There is no separate children's program, but younger guests can participate in all the activities in and around the hotel. In addition to an infinity pool, morning yoga classes, and forest and hay saunas, the unspoiled nature on the property provides a unique playground. The modern private wooden chalets are surrounded by forest and furnished with natural materials and untreated floors. The view of the Dolomites is unobstructed through the high glass windows. Food and beverages are included in the price. Following the "farm to table" principle, most of the products come from their own farm or the surrounding area.
Holistic, Vegan, and for Adults only: LA VIMEA in Naturns
The team of LA VIMEA, the first holistic vegan hotel in Italy, has made a conscious decision to only accept guests over the age of 12. The hotel is designed to be a haven of peace, inviting you to recharge your batteries. To this end, there is a natural spa with a barrel sauna, indoor pool, and natural swimming pond, as well as various yoga and meditation classes. The vegan cuisine is based on local produce from the surrounding area.
Two types of vacation at Naturresort Gerbehof
Naturresort Gerbehof has developed its own concept and offers two types of vacations to meet the needs of different groups of guests. The Easter, Pentecost, and summer school vacations are family times that are particularly popular with regular guests. In addition to a children's riding park and a beautiful forest playground, there are pony rides and riding lessons on the Gerbehof's ponies. When school is in session, Gerbehof is an adult hotel that invites you to relax and recharge your body and mind. Alkaline fasting, health weeks, stress reduction weeks, soul wellness, and more are on the program. Located in the hinterland of Lake Constance and surrounded by forests, meadows, and orchards, Gerbehof is a unique place to relax for its location alone - with or without children.
Romanticism at Hotel Das Rübezahl - also for the little ones
Romantic Hideaway Das Rübezahl, located in the Allgäu region of Germany, lives up to its name: pure romance, surrounded by mountains and centered on Neuschwanstein Castle. Children are welcome here, but 95 percent of the guests are couples. This is largely due to the hotel's offerings, which are designed to provide a break from everyday life and romantic hours for two. These include a candlelit dinner in the Louis II restaurant or a cozy evening in one of the themed suites with private whirlpool tubs and views of the Bavarian fairytale palace. For families, the hotel offers two suites with plenty of room for extra beds or two bedrooms. The outdoor pool is open to all guests at all times, but the wellness area is reserved for children 12 and older. The Rübezahl is ideal for families who enjoy being outdoors and experiencing small adventures together.
Adults only high in the treetops at Hotel My Arbor
My Arbor is nothing more than my tree, firmly rooted in nature, weathering the elements and facing the sun. This philosophy runs through the entire tree hotel, which is built like a soft nest on stilts high in the canopy of the surrounding trees. It is a habitat not suitable for children because of the way it is built alone, and therefore, among other reasons, an adults-only hotel. Above all, the Hotel My Arbor is meant to be a retreat, a place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The concept is designed around the guest's desires and allows the greatest freedom for one's rhythm. Simply living into the day, sleeping as long as one likes, breakfast until noon, swimming after sunset, a yoga session in the morning, and then a massage or an Aperol Spritz, all without compromising on the needs of children.
Ultimately, there is no valid argument for one "side" or the other. Adults-only hotels can be seen as a counterpart and alternative to family-friendly destinations, preventing resentment between guests seeking peace and quiet and families. While in family hotels children can run around to their heart's content with a high degree of tolerance and freedom, sustainable adults-only hotels offer quiet and peaceful relaxation. By the way, the Green Pearls® partners show that it is not necessarily a special label that is needed, but above all communication that appeals to the guests who will feel comfortable in the hotel. Whether this means adults only or parents with children - who might also like to treat themselves to a break in a hotel without the hustle and bustle of children.
Find out more about the hotels on the linked websites. If you have any questions or need more images, please contact us directly at press@greenpearls.com.