By day, I am mild-mannered art director of Global Traveler, but at night and on weekends, I turn into Softball Mom.

My daughter plays softball for a local tournament team that travels throughout the summer. So just about every other weekend from May–July, she and her teammates get to travel somewhere — usually within about two hours of our home in York, Pa., and stay overnight at a hotel. This weekend, the two-day tournament was in Lansdale, Pa.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of choosing just any hotel; we must stay at an affordable hotel chosen by the softball league. Sometimes the hotels are nice; other times they leave much to be desired. This weekend we had the pleasure of staying at Homewood Suites by Hilton Lansdale.

As a member of Hilton Honors, it was convenient for me to check-in ahead of time on the app and avoid spending a lot of time at reception; a great feature for a team of 12 very tired and pretty dirty 13–15 year-olds, along with their parents, who arrived all at once when the games ended around 6 p.m.

It’s entertaining to see what the girls are most thrilled with when they arrive at these hotels. It’s not the location, the parking, the fast check-in. It’s what the hotel has to offer in the lobby. The team flocked to a large bowl of fresh fruit and plethora of drink options, both hot and cold. My daughter shrieked with delight at the fact they had hot chocolate. The parents were pleased to see a large common area with plenty of tables and chairs, so we could gather that evening and order food to be delivered and devoured right in the lobby by our hungry team and the weary parents. After a long day of softball, the last thing we all want to do is try to get all the girls showered and find enough tables for our large group at a restaurant.

This weekend was early in the season, so the pool wasn’t open yet. Normally, that’s the main thing the girls look forward to. And the parents enjoy having tables and seating nearby so we can keep an eye on everyone and still socialize. This hotel had a great outdoor space near the pool, so the parents were also disappointed we weren’t there at a warmer time so we could enjoy that area. Maybe next time.

The rooms were nice and clean, and since they are Homewood Suites, all the rooms had a living room and kitchen area, so the girls could congregate in groups in each other’s rooms with plenty of space.

On Sunday morning the hotel had a great breakfast buffet. The girls enjoyed fresh fruit, cereal, bacon and eggs, muffins and, especially, making their own waffles. So in the end, our future global travelers thoroughly enjoyed their short stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton Lansdale, and so did their parents.

— Tracey Cullen, art director