Holiday Inn with a baby

Holiday Inn is IHG's family-friendly brand, and the UK hotels sit under the Kids Stay and Eat Free offer: up to two children can share with the adults at no extra room cost, a baby cot is complimentary under that offer, and younger children can eat free from the Kids' Menu when an adult orders a main. The catch is that individual hotels still set their own room and amenity details, so what you see on one hotel's page can clash with the brand terms.

Everything below comes from Holiday Inn's Kids Stay and Eat Free terms and landing page, two UK hotel rooms pages, and the Lullaby Trust, checked October 2026. Policies vary by hotel, so confirm with yours before you travel.

Quick answers

Kids Stay Free

Holiday Inn's offer is available at Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select and Holiday Inn Resort hotels. For more detail, the terms ask you to contact the individual hotel (Holiday Inn: Kids Stay and Eat Free terms).

For staying free, the brand rules are:

• Up to two children stay free when sharing a room with up to two adults.
• It is subject to maximum room occupancy and availability.
• Maximum occupancy rules supersede the offer if they clash.
• A baby cot is complimentary.
• Folding beds (rollaways) may be chargeable.

Age bands differ by region. For Europe, including UK Holiday Inns:

The offer landing page summarises the same Europe ages: stay free up to two children 17 and under sharing with up to two adults; eat free for children 12 and under from the Kids' Menu with at least one adult guest (Holiday Inn: Kids Stay & Eat Free).

IHG does not publish a brand-wide rule on whether a baby in a cot counts towards the two free children or the room's maximum occupancy. If you'd be close to the limit (for example two adults, two older children and a baby), email or call the hotel before you book.

Kids Eat Free

Kids Eat Free is for registered guests only. Children qualify when all of these apply (Holiday Inn: Kids Stay and Eat Free terms):

• Ordering breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• Ordering in the hotel's dine-in restaurant.
• Ordering from the Kids' Menu, which must include at least one main course and one dessert.
• Accompanied by at least one adult who is a registered hotel guest and who orders at least one main course from the full-priced menu.

Limits:

• Up to four children per dining family, per meal, or
• Up to two children per parent, per meal.

Exclusions:

• Not available for room service in most regions.
• Exception: in Europe, Kids Eat Free is available through room service.
• Not available with rates negotiated for groups of 10 or more rooms, travel industry rates or corporate rates.

IHG does not publish brand-wide kids' menu prices, highchair availability or which meals each UK hotel serves. Check your hotel's dining page, or ask when you reserve.

Cots, and why hotel pages can disagree

Brand terms are clear that a baby cot is complimentary under Kids Stay Free. Individual hotel rooms pages can still list different wording under "Available by Request", so treat the hotel page as a prompt to confirm in writing, not as a reason to ignore the brand offer.

Holiday Inn Manchester Airport

The hotel's highlights say it offers spacious family rooms, free cots, and Kids Stay & Eat Free near Terminal 2. The same rooms page lists under Available by Request: connecting rooms available, cot available with fee (listed as “crib” on the IHG page), and rollaway bed available with fee (Holiday Inn Manchester Airport: rooms).

So the same hotel promotes free cots in one place and a cot with a fee in another. Before you travel:

• Book the room that fits your family.
• Email or call the hotel and ask whether your booking includes a complimentary cot under Kids Stay Free.
• Ask them to note the cot on the reservation.
• Keep any confirmation, in case the fee wording on the website is out of date.

Holiday Inn London Whitechapel

Available by Request includes connecting rooms available, cot available (listed as “crib” on the IHG page), rollaway bed available, and rollaway bed available with fee. The Family Package mentions a spacious 1 King Premium Sofa Bed room for up to two adults and two children, an activity pack, milk and cookies on arrival, and luggage storage and late check-out subject to availability (Holiday Inn London Whitechapel: rooms).

That page does not say "with fee" next to the cot line, but it also does not spell out bedding or size limits. Ask the hotel what the cot includes and whether you need to bring sheets or a sleeping bag.

What IHG does not state brand-wide

Holiday Inn's published Kids Stay and Eat Free terms do not say:

• Whether cot bedding is provided.
• Cot weight or height limits.
• Standard check-in or checkout times.
• Breakfast prices.
• Whether highchairs are available in every restaurant.

Where a fact is missing, this guide says so. Bring baby bedding unless your hotel confirms otherwise, and see best travel cots if you'd rather pack your own.

Checking the cot when you arrive

The Lullaby Trust recommends that a cot mattress provided by your accommodation is still firm and flat, with no rips, tears or sagging, has a waterproof cover, and has been cleaned after each use with fresh bedding. It suggests bringing antibacterial wipes and possibly a waterproof cover if you're not sure, and contacting the hotel to check its policy on cot mattresses (Lullaby Trust: safer sleep on holiday).

It also says the safest place for a baby to sleep is their own separate sleep space, on a firm, flat mattress clear of toys and pillows, and recommends a room temperature of 16 to 20°C. Keep adult duvets and pillows out of the cot.

Family rooms and connecting rooms

IHG does not publish one UK-wide family-room layout. From the hotel pages above:

• Manchester Airport lists family rooms among inclusions, with standard rooms from about 22 to 23 sq m (queen or twin) and premium rooms up to about 29 sq m.
• London Whitechapel's Family Package uses a 1 King Premium Sofa Bed room for up to two adults and two children, and lists connecting rooms on request.

Connecting rooms appear on both example hotels under Available by Request. Book early if you need them, and confirm maximum occupancy for your room type so the Kids Stay Free limit and the hotel's own cap don't conflict.

Booking tips with a baby

• Use a rate that keeps Kids Eat Free. Corporate, travel-industry and large-group rates are excluded from the meal offer.
• Add children to the booking at the correct ages so the hotel can apply Stay Free and Eat Free correctly (17 and under / 12 and under in Europe).
• Request the cot when you book, then follow up with the hotel if the confirmation is silent.
• Ask about a fridge or kettle for milk if you need them; both Manchester Airport and Whitechapel list tea or coffee facilities and a mini refrigerator among amenities, but that is hotel-specific, not a brand promise.
• Pack for safer sleep: fitted travel-cot sheet, baby sleeping bag, and wipes or a waterproof cover if you want them.

Checklist before you go

• Confirm Kids Stay Free and Kids Eat Free apply to your rate and hotel (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select or Holiday Inn Resort).
• Ask the hotel in writing for a complimentary cot, especially if its rooms page lists a fee.
• Check maximum occupancy for your room type if you have more than two adults or more than two children.
• Pack baby bedding unless the hotel confirms sheets and a suitable mattress cover are provided.
• Plan meals: Kids Eat Free needs the Kids' Menu (main + dessert) and an adult full-priced main; in Europe, room service is also covered.
• Ask about connecting rooms, luggage storage and late checkout if you need them (subject to availability).
• Inspect the cot on arrival using the Lullaby Trust checks above.

A greener Holiday Inn stay

• Using the hotel's cot means one less bulky item to buy, carry or check in.
• If your hotel is near a station or airport rail link, a train can replace a long drive. See pushchairs on trains and ferries.
• Bring a refillable bottle and reusable bibs. See sustainable baby travel essentials.

More on staying away with a baby

• Hotel cot policies compared: Premier Inn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn and Hilton side by side.
• Premier Inn with a baby: free travel cots, family rooms and kids' free breakfast.
• Travelodge with a baby: how to get a cot and £1 kids' breakfast.
• Holiday parks compared: Center Parcs vs Haven vs Butlin's.
• Packing light with kids: what you can borrow instead of bringing.

Sources

• Holiday Inn: Kids Stay and Eat Free terms and conditions (complimentary cot; folding beds may be chargeable; occupancy supersedes offer; Kids Eat Free rules, limits and exclusions; Europe room-service exception; Europe ages 17 / 12 and under)
• Holiday Inn: Kids Stay & Eat Free (offer landing footnotes for Europe ages)
• Holiday Inn Manchester Airport: rooms (free cots in highlights; cot listed as crib with fee under Available by Request; connecting rooms; rollaway with fee)
• Holiday Inn London Whitechapel: rooms (cot listed as crib available; connecting rooms; Family Package for two adults and two children; activity pack; milk and cookies; luggage storage and late checkout subject to availability)
• Lullaby Trust: safer sleep on holiday (checking a provided cot mattress, separate sleep space, room temperature)

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Last checked and updated: 18 October 2026 · Kiddieko · How we check facts