Postpartum Hotels Are Trending—Here’s What It’s Like to Stay in One

Liz is clear: The cost to stay at Boram wasn’t cheap. She also got a discount via her midwife, so the total cost for seven nights wound up being $7,625—almost $2,000 in savings. (“I like to think of the cost as $45 an hour,” Liz describes.) While postnatal care centers are still a new trend in the United States, other options in major cities like San Francisco quote costs in a similar price range (approximately $700 to $1,400 per night—very little of which is covered by insurance).

But with her family based in Toronto and her parents navigating a sudden health crisis, she had limited options. “I needed help, but when I looked into the cost of a night nurse or a postpartum doula, the difference was only a couple hundred dollars more per day—and the cost of Boram includes food,” Liz says. Beyond that, she valued the thought of being taken care of 24/7 by someone else during such a vulnerable time. “The alternative, say a night nurse, meant I’d be overwhelmed and having to manage another person’s schedule and routine. Also, life in New York City means my apartment is quite small, which isn’t very conducive to having a caregiver spend the night. Out of desperation and fear of being totally alone without any knowledge of what I was doing at the beginning, I decided it was the best option.”

A one-night deposit is required when you book. It’s also New York City, where you’d presume there’d be a waitlist—but a stay at Boram doesn’t work like that. “They call it ‘playing Tetris,’ but you basically give them your due date and there’s a person whose job it is to manage the room availability,” Liz explains. “The way they explained it to me is that there’s a constant shuffling since pretty much as many people go late as they do early.”

In Liz’s case, upon booking, she couldn’t secure her exact delivery date, but Boram did have availability two days after. She also ended up delivering two weeks late, then having a C-section, which increased her hospital stay by two more days. “One of the best parts of booking is that you’re given the direct number of a person on staff you can text with any and all needs. I kept messaging her about my due date being like, ‘I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!’ To have that level of access made the whole experience feel like white glove service.”

When Liz initially booked, she intended to stay for just three nights, but after she was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia, she extended her stay to a full week. (For reference, Boram recommends at least a five-night stay.) “It was stressful and I needed to be checked back into the hospital, so it was great to be able to tap into Boram’s emergency childcare services at no extra cost,” Liz says.

Back to that direct message line: Liz says she could text at any and all hours with a range of needs and requests. “The biggest one was, ‘Can you come take my baby?’ but if you wanted water or a tutorial on how to swaddle or someone to come and wash your pump parts, that help and expertise was all within reach,” she says. “I struggled the most getting the hang of breastfeeding, so to have access to lactation services at 4 a.m. where someone comes and sits beside you on the bed was a gamechanger.”

The rooms and meals were also top-notch. “By New York City standards, the hotel rooms are big,” Liz describes. “You also have a choice between a regular room or a suite, but the whole experience is quite high-end. It’s also fully stocked for baby care and all of that—the diapers, the hospital-grade bassinet—comes included in the cost.” As for the food, all you have to do is pick up the phone and breakfast, lunch and dinner arrive to your door. “The chef specializes in postpartum nutrition, but they also accommodate all dietary restrictions, too. The meals were so tasty!”

Liz only had a couple of complaints: “I saw a definite difference between the night and day staff,” she says. For example, at 3:30 a.m., she texted ‘Can you come take my baby?’ so she could catch a bit of shuteye after a feeding and it took 40 minutes for someone to come. “Some nights, a staffer would arrive in two minutes, but it was inconsistent.” Additionally, the rotation of classes offered to new parents was available on a monthly vs. weekly basis. “Most women are there for three days, so let’s say you really want to attend the baby wearing course, but it was only offered the following week, that’s a bit of a bummer that you have to miss out.”

For Liz, having a second set of hands to help with those early days, especially following a C-section, gave her a confidence boost, but also the ability to steady herself in the days immediately after childbirth—an experience that was priceless. But she also cherishes being put in a position to meet other moms going through the same thing. “I met a single mom who had twins born the day after my daughter,” she says. “I got her number and absolutely plan to reach out to her.”

As for any additional fees during her stay, the cost is pretty much all-inclusive unless you decide to add a spa service like a massage. (That gets tacked onto the bill.)

Bottom line: Boram was a safety net—and one that Liz wishes was granted to all new moms.