Starwood adds kids dining pass to loyalty program at resorts

For families who love resort vacations, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has rolled out a new perk for its loyalty club members: an all-inclusive dining pass for children. For a flat rate, kids 12 and younger can order meals and beverages from the children’s menu or buffet at selected resort restaurants.

The deal: The SPG Kids Pass is available at more than 100 Westins, Sheratons, Le Meridiens and other Starwood hotels, including these in California: the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, the Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth Lakes, the Westin Verasa in Napa and the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage.

To take advantage of the Kids Pass, you have to be a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program. It’s free to enroll. The pass is priced per child per day, and the cost varies from property to property.

Here’s how it works: Children 12 years old and younger receive a wristband that allows them to eat at selected resort restaurants as long as one adult also buys a meal. Beverages are included as well but don’t require an adult purchase.

When: The pass program is good indefinitely.

Tested: I suppose how much you save depends on how much your kids eat. The St. Regis Monarch Beach, for example, charges $25 plus tax per child per day for the pass that gives kids access to meals and beverages at the resort’s Motif restaurant.

Without the pass, Motif’s kids menu charges $4 each for juices, smoothies, milk, soda or hot chocolate So that’s $12 right there if your child has one drink per meal. Breakfast averages $5.50, and lunch and dinner average $9 each. These selections, leaving out extra drinks during the day and desserts, add up to $10 more than the pass.

There are lots of rules for this program, so read the FAQs carefully. You can’t reserve a pass in advance; you purchase it when you check in or at any point during your stay. Also, the pass doesn’t apply to room service or in-room mini-bars.

Contact: SPG Kids Pass