A video about a mom’s practical hotel tip for traveling with small children has gone viral on YouTube.
“This is why we always ask for a room on the second floor,” reads the text overlay in the video posted to YouTube by Kelsey (@kelsewhatelse), which has garnered over 2.9 million views since it was shared on July 14. The clip shows a small child bouncing inside a hotel room, a visual that perfectly matches the mom’s advice.
“When we stay in a hotel, we always ask if there’s a room available on the second floor because little kids are hardwired for movement,” the mom says in the video. “And I’m more likely to be able to say yes, you can hop if they’re hopping over the breakfast area or the lobby rather than hopping over someone else’s hotel room. So, when you check into a hotel with little kids, ask if they have a room on the second.”
That courtesy may go a long way in the hospitality industry, where guest satisfaction is paramount. According to the 2025 State of the Industry report by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), cleanliness and noise levels remain top concerns for hotel guests—often outweighing even price and location.
The YouTuber’s parenting tip offers a considerate compromise between children’s developmental needs and fellow guests’ comfort. The mom elaborated on her strategy in a caption accompanying the post.
“When we stay in a hotel with little kids, we try to be as courteous and kind to our neighbors as possible,” she wrote. “But little kids aren’t going to change their developmental needs just because we’re in a hotel. Kids need to move. Have you ever seen a toddler walk? They don’t walk, they hop. They roll. They skip and scoot. Their brains need this kind of movement, and their brain is telling them they must move this way. Their developmental needs don’t care if they’re in a hotel.”
She explained that a second-floor room is often situated above communal areas like pools, lobbies or restaurants, rather than over another guest’s room. “We even go the extra mile to walk the bottom floor to confirm that we are indeed not over a first-floor room,” the mom added. She advises putting this request in at the time of booking or calling ahead to inform the front desk about why you want a room on the second floor, so they’re more likely to be able to meet your request.
The strategy has apparently also been praised by hotel staff. “The hotel workers always seem to appreciate that we are being thoughtful towards the other guests with our request,” the YouTuber wrote in the caption. “It doesn’t always work out this way, and if we end up on another floor we do our best to get their wiggles out outside or in the lobby before we get to the room. Hotels are built to withstand noise, so you don’t have to worry too much about it, but we do like to be as courteous as possible.”
The mom also offered additional insights for keeping peace in shared spaces, especially in the early hours.
“When our kids wake up at 6:00 a.m., we get them out of the hotel room. Because we all know little kids aren’t exactly quiet and they don’t care what time of day it is,” she wrote in the caption. “We go hang in the lobby or go for a drive. Or if we have to stay in the room, we put on a movie or let them play on their tablets or read books to them to keep them quiet for the other guests.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via email. This video has not been independently verified.
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