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A FAMILY
RETREAT FROM AN “OVER-PROGRAMMED LIFE”
Wyndham Family
Retreat to Bring Kids and Parents Together
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American works 20 percent more now than in 1973 and has 32 percent less free time per week. A 1999 Council of Economic Advisors report estimated that working families who have children under age 18 have 22 fewer hours per week to spend with their families. Seventy percent of fathers and mothers want more time with their children.
“Parents are now turning to family vacations as a vehicle to compensate for the lack of quality time at home. Once perceived as a sanctuary for the family, the home has taken on a new identity forcing families to escape in order to be together,” said Andrew Jordan, senior vice president of marketing, Wyndham International. “Wyndham has created specific programs to encourage parents and kids to reconnect.” Wyndham Family Retreat offers families the opportunity to participate in an array of interactive sports, leisure and dining activities by the pool or at the beach. The cost for this program ranges between $15 and $20 and it includes the following (dates and times are subject to vary according to property): Pool and Beach Family Activities: Everyone in the family – from the 4-year-old to the young at heart grandparents – can participate in and enjoy pool and beach games. Wyndham designed this program specifically to stimulate family interaction. Led by a recreational facilitator, the program features a variety of free activities in and around the pool and the beach. Ranging from family tropical bingo to aqua-Olympics and competitive sandcastle building, the activities are held daily from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Kids Cooking and S’mores: Evenings for traveling kids don’t have to be spent with the hotel babysitter any more. To foster family fun, Wyndham Family Retreat offers a new level of interactive entertainment. Evening activities include “Cooking with the Chef” where the hotel chef invites kids to prepare a special meal for their parents; and a family campfire featuring storytelling emphasizing the local culture, s’mores and group games. The evening programs are held twice a week from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wyndham Kids Retreat: For the parents (and their kids) who need a bit of quiet time, the Wyndham Kids Retreat program provides supervised fun for children ages four to 12 and features interactive and recreational activities including water activities, sports, arts and crafts, and dance lessons. Upon check-in, kids receive a welcome duffel bag, T-shirt and travel journal to record their vacation experiences. Kids will enjoy time with other vacationing children of similar ages. In addition, parents are encouraged to empower their kids and educate them on the value of money by purchasing a book of Wyndham checks for kids to redeem on property during their stay. Kids Retreat is available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at participating resorts for a nominal fee. Participating resorts include Puerto Rico, Orlando, Fort
Lauderdale, Jamaica, South Carolina, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, Key West, and
Telluride. For reservations, call Wyndham Hotels & Resorts at
800-WYNDHAM, or visit Wyndham at http://www.wyndham.com Edited by Kerry Cohen |
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TM
Wyndham Resorts has announced the launch of Wyndham Family
Retreat, an innovative program designed to unplug families from their
over-programmed lifestyles. As the Internet continues to infiltrate more
households and the workplace further invades the home and families’ time
together, experts say that our nation is suffering from a “time famine”-- the
steady shrinkage of free time. 
Wyndham has the answer to the growing need for quality
family time. The Wyndham Family Retreat offers innovative, interactive, fun and
recreational activities for parents and children to experience together. It is the first national
resort initiative to focus on bringing parents and children together rather
than building on separate kids programs and dividing the family unit while
vacationing. In fact, findings show that as many as 83 percent of children say
their ideal vacation involves spending time with family, and 91 percent of
parents believe travel brings a family closer together (Portrait of Family Travel,
Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown, 1999).