Royal Sonesta launched Young Royals on 5 October 2026. The programme runs at six hotels, and it adds a set of family touchpoints to the stay from check-in to check-out.
The release is datelined Newton, Massachusetts. Sonesta designed the programme for family travel, and it builds each element on the character of the individual property.
Where the programme runs first
The debut set is Royal Sonesta Boston, Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown, Royal Sonesta San Juan, Royal Sonesta Washington, DC Capitol Hill, The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York and The Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel Toronto. The release names no date for a wider rollout, so a booking at any other Royal Sonesta property carries none of it for now.
A named mascot at each property
Each of the six hotels keeps its own character. Royal Sonesta Boston keeps the Baron of Boston. Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown keeps the Countess of Chicago. Royal Sonesta San Juan keeps the Princess of San Juan, and Capitol Hill keeps the Knight of Capitol Hill. The Benjamin has the King of New York City, and Yorkville has the Empress of Yorkville. Sonesta describes every mascot as locally inspired, so the character changes with the address.
The six parts
Once Upon a Stay is a colouring and storybook. It introduces a cast of royal mascots and the destination through illustrations and hands-on activities. Meet the Royal Court gives each child a plush stuffed animal built on the property's own mascot.
Crown Yourself Royalty is a crown-making kit. A child designs headwear, wears it through the hotel, and takes the crown home. A Castle Fit for Young Royalty adds dedicated play spaces, and it sets up a castle in the guest room or in a banquet room.
The Royal Quest is a property-wide scavenger hunt. Clues, challenges and storytelling carry the route through the hotel and its amenities. Inside the programme's own franchise letter, a card for the quest lists the stops: the crown-making kit, a selfie with the mascot, the restaurant, the plush mascot, the Royal Report, the fitness centre, the pool, the colouring book and a key card of a child's favourite mascot. Dine Like Royalty adds a kid-friendly menu and branded cups at the table.
The franchise network saw the plan first
Sonesta's Brand Pulse letter for August 2026 introduced the Royal Sonesta Young Royals Program to franchise hotels. The letter runs to volume 25, and its own description calls the programme one that begins at arrival and continues throughout the guest journey. It states the aims as higher on-property engagement, lasting memories and a sharper brand promise, and its component list names two items the October release leaves out: a drawstring backpack and royal sunglasses.
What the release does not state
The release carries no programme fee, no nightly supplement and no minimum-stay rule. It carries no opening date for any single element and no count of the mascots. It states no target for family room nights. Sonesta reports the programme, and no independent publisher has tested the claims.
A property staffed to run the programme has no published answer on three points. The release does not break the six parts down by hotel. It does not state whether the programme applies to every room type, or whether the castle setup in a banquet room carries a charge. It states no rule on the number of crowns, plush animals or kits for a booking with more than one child.
Two counts of Sonesta's size
The release boilerplate reads approximately 1,100 properties and 100,000 guest rooms across 13 brands in 11 countries. Sonesta's own About page reads 1,100-plus locations across eight countries and three continents. Both counts are Sonesta's own.