Kids may not have always been a key part of the equation for success at all the hot hotels in downtown Chicago, but times have changed.

Now, more than ever, it seems that hotels -- from the Best Western to the Four Seasons -- are courting families.

A recent visit to The Peninsula, a five-star hotel with all the amenities located in the heart of the Michigan Avenue tourism and shopping district, made that abundantly clear.

On a spring weekend, The Peninsula, 108 E. Superior St., was full of kids of all ages. There were teens and toddlers swimming laps and dipping in the rooftop pool -- with its stunning view of the Water Tower and the John Hancock Center. There were babies and dapper little preschoolers brunching in The Lobby on Sunday morning and well-behaved tots headed out for, or back from, a day of absorbing everything the Windy City has to offer families.

For anyone who stays even a couple times a year in downtown Chicago hotels, it was a somewhat unexpected sight.

But it shouldn't be anymore, according to Jennifer Chase, managing director of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association Education Foundation (IHLAEF), which works to help hospitality industry workers continue their educations and to mentoring future hotel employees.

"Chicago hotels are working harder to expand their partnerships to market to a number of different groups of visitors," says Chase.

"Several factors play in such as location, timeliness of events, brand loyalty and partnerships between hotels and attractions and destinations. Hotels also know many travelers are bringing their families, even extending business trips to enjoy all the finest in attractions, dining and shopping Chicago has to offer."

If you expect a place like The Peninsula -- whose other U.S. properties are in Beverly Hills and New York; the remainder are in Asia, and a Paris hotel will open in 2012 -- to feel stuffy and overly formal, you will be surprised.

Of course, the luxury hotel is well-appointed, so clean it nearly sparkles and staffed with a quality team. But while everyone will rush to open the door for you, help with your bag and address you personally, they are eager and smiling rather than staid and uncomfortably deferential. And when they see your kids ... 

"Our General Manager (Maria Zec) always says, 'If we are aloof or arrogant, we're missing our mark,'" says Susan Ellefson, director of public relations at The Peninsula. "You can teach service, but you have to start by hiring people who enjoy helping others, who are hospitable people, smiling people."

The Peninsula Loves Kids (and Their Parents)

"Families are important to us," says Ellefson. "We're into families. We're into pets." And, she adds, "The Peninsula has always been family-friendly."

The Peninsula is also into research.

If you find that you're drawn into a conversation when reserving a room at the hotel, don't be surprised by the personalized welcome you receive upon arrival. On a recent visit, we arrived to hear a CD recorded by my band eight years ago playing in our room. And later that evening, a knock on the door brought sweets and some White Sox baseball cards. A hotel staffer had seen a blog I wrote about flipping baseball cards with my child.

"In the registration process, the staff will ask what brings you to Chicago and we gather information," says Ellefson. "Preferences for some (hotels) mean just smoking or non-smoking, type of bed and feather or foam pillow. For us preferences mean a lot more than that.

"If a customer gets chatty, we will know what size robes to have in the room, for example. If their child is celebrating a birthday, we can spell the child's name correctly (on the cake) and make sure we have their favorite color frosting."

And so it was that we arrived to find sweet treats for our preschooler and soft toys and a crib for our younger child, too. Of course, there were plush robes and slippers in all our sizes.

But the research doesn't stop when guests arrive at the hotel.

"If a guest was traveling alone our housekeeper would notice what side of the bed they slept on and would know to put the slippers and the bottle of water on that side. If the radio was left on and was playing jazz, we'd note that the guest enjoys jazz," says Ellefson.

"If we discover they like golf, we would put golf magazines in the room. We like to anticipate needs before the guest even knows they need them. But they have to be willing to share. If they're not interested, of course, we respect their privacy."

The advance work done on us helped us enroll our child in the great Little Bakers program. He spent time in The Peninsula kitchen decorating cookies and mini cupcakes with Executive Pastry Chef Celine Plano and Pastry Sous Chef Amanda Rockman.

When he arrived he got a chef's jacket with his name on it and a tall baker's hat. When he left, he walked away with an experience to remember, a box of cookies and cupcakes, and an awesome souvenir chef's coat to boot.

It also helped get us going on the fun Chicago scavenger hunt that helps families discover the city's landmarks and important sites. When kids finish the hunt, the hotel concierge presents them with a special gift.

It also helped match us with the hotel's casual Pierrot Gourmet restaurant where we had a delicious, but reasonably priced dinner in an atmosphere suited to dining with small children. We enjoyed the eatery so much -- and not just because of the alluring desserts -- that we returned for breakfast the following morning.

Later that day we ate the Sunday brunch of a lifetime in The Lobby, which also hosts a sinful chocolate bar buffet in the evening. There was everything you could imagine, from the expected -- like omelet, meat carving and dessert stations -- to the unexpected -- like the sumptuous sushi and charcuterie stations, to name just a few of the copious options.

I won't soon forget the truffled eggs benedict but the tots will likely remember the kids' buffet offering children's faves like sliders, fries and mac 'n' cheese at the perfect height for little diners.

There's Fun Outside the Hotel, Too

The Peninsula is located in the heart of the Chicago tourism district and there's no shortage of fun to be had. On this trip, we climbed (OK, rode the elevator) to the top of the John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave., to get a twilight look at the Windy City's lighted skyline from the Observatory.

With our heads nearly in the clouds, we also checked out the relatively new Lavazza Expressions Cafe, which was doing a brisk business, apparently selling mostly gelato. This Lavazza fan opted instead for a postprandial cappuccino on high. Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for kids ages 3-11. Kids under 3 are free. The observatory is open daily, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.

Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., is a great stop for kids, who will enjoy seeing engaging works in all media. Admission is free for kids 12 and under. Families with kids 12 and below get in free on Family Days, the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

We also made a stop at the Lego Store in The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N. Michigan Ave., where there are giant Lego-made dinosaurs, spiders and giraffes as well as a Hancock Tower and a huge model of the building that houses the store itself. The shop has a wide range of Lego sets and a "buffet bar" of unusual bricks and blocks that you can buy in bulk.

Navy Pier, not far from the hotel at Grand Avenue and the lake, is a veritable buffet of treats for the whole family. There's a Ferris wheel and other rides, the Chicago Children's Museum, a Build-a-Bear shop and much more. Free trolleys run between Memorial Day and Labor Day (and special event days the rest of the year), with stops around downtown and at the pier.

There's also American Girl Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave., a wonderland of American Girl shops, restaurants, a doll hair salon and more.

Options Abound

IHLAEF's Chase says that the options for families in Chicago are wide-ranging and folks in the know have no shortage of suggestions for family getaways in the shadow of the Sears Tower.

"There are many hotels to chose from, and they want to keep their loyal guests happy," she says, noting that Sutton Place Hotel has a family-friendly package in conjunction with the nearby American Girl, and that Omni's Chicago hotel earned a place on Travel & Leisure's 2009 World's Best Hotels for Families list. The Best Western River North Hotel and The Four Seasons Chicago also court families with special treats and program, Chase notes.

"The Peninsula has kid-friendly amenities and an indoor pool, also, and can provide the highest level of service to make all feel welcome,"she Chase.

Kiran Advani, senior public relations specialist with the Chicago Office of Tourism, has some suggestions, too.

"The Avenue Hotel and Swissotel both offer elaborately decorated / themed kids rooms -- video games, board games, bright colors, etc.,"says  Advani, who adds that the Ritz Carlton and Park Hyatt are also actively attracting families.

Clearly, hotels are becoming savvier than ever when it comes to wooing little travelers and the result is that hotels are seeing families come back again and again.

"The little people become fans for later on," says The Peninsula's Ellefson. "It's nice to see them keep coming back (as they get older)."