In China, high-end hotels are offering babysitting services to support parents balancing remote work and childcare responsibilities.

While many places around the world are returning to offices and schools, lockdowns persist in China as the country grapples with multiple Covid-19 outbreaks under its strict zero-Covid policy.

This ongoing situation leaves parents with the challenge of managing both work and their children's online education, a dilemma many of us faced during the height of the pandemic.

To address this issue, several luxury hotels across Chinese cities are offering a new solution: 'studycations' for families.

The renowned hotel will host students aged 7 to 16 from Monday to Friday, with the package including three meals a day and a butler to oversee the children's online learning sessions.

'After the Shanghai government announced that all students would need to stay home for online learning starting March 12 due to the recent Omicron surge, we began to see how challenging it was for parents trying to balance their work with childcare,' says Cecilia Yang, Director of Communications at Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, to Dinogo Travel.

'Over the past two years, we’ve offered 'staycation' and 'workation' packages as travel became more restricted. Now, we thought, why not offer something special for the kids?'

Hotel staff note that children can benefit from the peaceful environment and adult supervision during their e-learning sessions.

Since the promotion launched on March 16, over 10 studycation packages have been booked. The first group of guests arrived on March 21, according to Yang.

'The feedback from both parents and children has been overwhelmingly positive. We've seen lots of social media posts from families, and some kids even refer to themselves as 'little fans' after spending five days with us,' Yang adds.

For a child to stay overnight, an adult must be present. Alternatively, parents can drop off their child after 7 a.m. and pick them up before 8 p.m.

If parents choose to join their children for the studycation, they can enjoy a day off and receive a discount on the spa services.

Golf lessons and IT support are also available for guests.

Several luxury hotels in Nanjing are now offering similar packages for families seeking a studycation experience.

Purple Palace Nanjing, located in the serene Zijin Mountain area, provides homework assistance along with activities like golf lessons or traditional rice dough figurine sculpting classes—perfect for rainy days when golfing isn't an option.

A spokesperson from the hotel shared with a local newspaper that they hosted a 13-year-old guest who enjoyed the experience so much that the parents decided to extend the stay from a half-day to an overnight visit.

In downtown Nanjing, Suning Universal Hotel is also offering babysitting and tutoring services. A widely shared post on WeChat highlights their one-child, one-room policy for parents looking for a convenient option for their children.

'Parents don’t need to worry about their kids while working. Hotels can increase their earnings, and in these times, a hotel’s quality isn’t just determined by online reviews, but also by its educational offerings,' the post states.

'An IT team ensures a stable internet connection, while our hotel staff supervises the child's homework. Human resources follow up on the progress, the F&B team takes care of meals, and the security team ensures the child’s safety and isolation,' says the hotel.

'Once the schoolwork is completed, a concierge team takes the child out for some physical activity. The marketing team is also involved in filming videos when school assignments are due,' they added.

The post about the studycation packages has gone viral on multiple Chinese social media platforms since its release last week.

The challenges

Reactions to the studycation packages have been mixed, with some showing strong support and others expressing concerns.

Some local news commentators argue that for hotels to survive during the pandemic, they need to be innovative—provided they remain within legal boundaries.

Others raise concerns about whether hotel staff are adequately qualified to act as reliable babysitters.

While some parents have already signed up for the service, many Weibo users are skeptical about its practicality.

'Will the hotel's internet speed ever match the quality of a home connection?' one user asks.

Others complain about the high cost associated with the service.