Illustration for TIME by Daryll Collins

Eloise would have loved Asia. The feisty, six-year-old heroine of Kay Thompson's 1969 childrens' literary classic lived in New York's Plaza Hotel with her nanny and pet turtle and followed the mantra: "Getting bored is not allowed." Her philosophy has been ably heeded by Asia's hotels and airlines, which are well aware that building loyalty requires an early start--even more so at this time of year, when crowded airports, busy hotels and frayed nerves are a seasonal hazard. Keeping kids entertained also makes parents (and, just as important, other guests and passengers) even happier.

Asia's child-friendly hotels and resorts offer a range of special treats for small customers, from check-in toys and goodies at Mandarin Oriental locations to more organized activities elsewhere to keep Junior jumping. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, for instance, has been winning kiddie kudos for its Camp Hyatt clubs throughout the region, offering such activities as cooking classes and dance lessons (and a kids-only disco and dinner on New Year's Eve at The Hyatt Regency Macau). The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong are ringing in the new year with the P.O.L.O., or Protect Our Little Ones program. Launching in January, the initiative includes child-proofing (like smoothing off low table corners) and welcome baskets with baby amenities. At the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, parents can also get a pager or mobile phone to stay on call with the hotel babysitter.

Families tend to appreciate the parents-only time created when kids are occupied with their own fun--hence the success of toddlers' tea parties and trips courtesy of the Westin's Kids Clubs, jungle adventure treks at the Holiday Inn resort on Pedu Lake, Malaysia, and early morning playtime programs at the Sheraton Lagoon Nusa Dua Beach Resort in Bali.

With less space to roam and more room for havoc, airlines have an especially difficult job keeping children amused. Cathay Pacific distributes dinosaur-themed fun packs for the under-six crowd and, for older kids, kits that explore visions of life in the future. Virgin Atlantic offers backpacks with sunglasses, baseball caps, toys and books, not to mention pop music and the antics of Wallace and Gromit on the kids-oriented audio and video channels. Carriers keep a few other in-flight tricks up their sleeves: United Airlines serves McDonald's meals, Swissair provides Lego airplanes and stuffed toys, British Airways hands out comic books and travel wallets, while Emirates gives smaller-sized headsets. Kids flying solo get royal treatment from Cathay, Singapore Airlines, Virgin, BA, Qantas and many others.

Israel's El Al, on the other hand, wants mini-mayhem kept to a minimum. The airline is the first to offer a separate seating area just for families with kids.

R E L A T E D   L I N K S :

• British Airways • Cathay Pacific • Disney's Family.com • El Al • Emirates • Great Outdoor Recreation Pages • Holiday Inn • Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

• Mandarin Oriental • Qantas • Ritz-Carlton • Sheraton • Singapore Airlines • Swissair • United Airlines • Virgin Atlantic • Westin