I never knew to search for “hotels with childcare” in my destination research. When our daughter arrived in this world, I knew I would have to give up my beloved nightlife during travel, but I didn’t have to this time. Instead, I could have a sliver of the “Crazy Rich Asians” night out. Travel Families don’t talk about childcare while traveling, almost as if it’s a secret. Well, I will spill the beans on the secret. secret on how to get childcare while traveling – most mid to high-end hotels offer a babysitting service, as I mentioned in my previous post. All you have to do is ask the concierge, and they will provide you with all the options they offer.

We didn’t invest much time researching childcare options before we left. Instead, we decided that if the service was available at our hotel, we would utilize it for at least 2 nights, but we’d play it by ear. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, one of the best hotels we have stayed at. Everything about that hotel was excellent! Upon arrival, we asked the concierge if they had a babysitting service, and they sure did.

How Getting Childcare Worked

Our hotel has a contract with 3 childcare agencies, and though we had a choice, we asked them to recommend a service. We told the concierge which day and time for our first outing but wanted to see how it went before committing to the second day. All arrangemets were made by the concierge and confirmed when the booking was made. We paid cash directly to the babysitter directly in Singapore Dollars. We also ensured to get the sitter’s number so we could be in communication. There are extra payments, e.g., after 11 pm, we were required to pay an additional $20-30SGD for a taxi as public transportation had stopped running. After midnight the hourly rate goes up by $5-10SGD per hour. All-in-all, for 6hrs (8 pm to 2 am), we paid approximately $180SGD, which worked out to be roughly the same amount I would have paid at home for the same duration.

Our babysitter arrived a few mins ahead of the scheduled time. She was a charming lady from India. Lo was of course anxious to be left behind, but mama had to have some adult time. The babysitter could have taken Lo to the kid’s playroom; unfortunately, it was closed for renovations, so they just stayed in the room. We got the extra blankets from the hotel so she could snooze comfortably after Lo went to bed. Our first date was a success, and we scheduled babysitting for our 2nd date with the same sitter for consistency. Highly recommend this as an option to get some adult time on your visit to Singapore. Although I must admit, I did have a bit of separation anxiety. There are some countries where I wouldn’t do this for fear of human trafficking.

Checklist for Hotels With Childcare Services

• Call your hotel ahead of time and ask if they offer childcare services. If they don’t, ask if they have a service you can contact.
• Understand who is going to make the arrangements, you or the concierge.
• Understand how the babysitter will be paid, cash or credit card? Directly to the sitter or to the agency?
• Read the contract.
• Understand where the babysitter and your child can hang out in the hotel and if they have a kid’s play area.
• If you will be out late, make arrangements to have extra blankets in your room for the babysitter.
• Get the sitter’s number for communication while you are out.
• Lastly, enjoy your time out!

8 Hotels with Childcare Service in Singapore

1. Ritz Carlton Hotel
2. The St Regis Singapore
3. InterContinental Singapore
4. Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
5. Marina Bay Sands
6. Fairmont Singapore
7. Goodwood Park Hotel
8. Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore

Alternatively, you can work directly with NannySOS; they have a long list of hotels they work with also.