IMAGINE you're enjoying a quiet moment on a well-deserved break when your child pierces the peace with a wail. Seconds later, a man bursts through the door of your hotel room and snatches up the infant. What do you do - take a swing at him with a soap dish? A handy hardcover? If you were at Keswick Hall - an Orient-Express resort at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the United States - you'd think again. The soap dish, after all, would be antique porcelain; the book, borrowed from the in-house library ... and the man, your baby butler who (until the end of your stay, at least) would be responsible for rocking your kid to sleep, making up the crib with customised linen and warming those milk bottles. Meanwhile, you can head for the on-site spa or the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature golf course.

Welcome to the new upmarket, family-friendly destination holiday, where parents don't have to trade a smidgen of sophisticated luxury for kiddie pleasures. Over the past few years, an increasing number of upscale brands have begun equipping their premises with an unprecedented spectrum of facilities specially tailored for young guests, while some mid-range players have spiffed themselves up to meet the demands of affluent adults.

Keswick aside, there's Shangri-La (www.shangri-la.com), which is planning to set up outposts at beachside locations such as Boracay, Phuket and the Maldives over the next couple of years following the success of its Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa in Oman. The latter was established three years ago with a dedicated building for families as well as a children's club, swimming pools and outdoor play areas. Says its director of communications, Shamini Murugan: 'There's been an increase in demand for more upmarket family-oriented holidays in recent years. So whilst developments in the past catered more for the holiday needs of couples, newer luxury resort developments are being built with dedicated children's facilities.'

Other options include Kerzner International's opulent Atlantis The Palm (www.atlantisthepalm.com), which opened in Dubai last month with an array of frills such as an amphitheatre, a teen disco and dolphin tours just for kids, along with proper grown-up treats - four restaurants owned by Michelin-starred chefs and exclusive boutiques from the likes of Roberto Cavalli and Harry Winston, for starters.

MSC Cruises (www.msccruises.com), Europe's largest cruise company, is riding the wave with the launch of what it dubs 'the most beautiful ship in the world' in December. This super-liner with some 27,000 sq m of public space will have firsts such as a 4D cinema and a Formula 1 simulator on deck for the little ones, as well as an exclusive Yacht Club with butler service and Italian designer decor plus a spa for adults.

MOVING UPSCALE: Club Med Gregolimano, Greece (above). Club Med, recently embarked on a global mission to overhaul and reposition its resorts as more upmarket offerings

On its way to joining those posh ranks, too, is family resort Club Med, which recently embarked on a global mission to overhaul and reposition its resorts as more upmarket offerings. Chief executive officer and president of Club Med Asia-Pacific, Caroline Puechoultres, says the company worked with the BVA Institute in April last year to research the profiles of consumers with high revenues in China, Singapore, Korea, Australia and Japan.

'It appears the demographic structure of those populations is led by families by a majority far ahead of couples and singles. We want to target this high-end range of the population with our upward move,' she explains.

In fact, cushy new holiday options are just what the paediatrician ordered for the kids - and their parents. Strategy director Jessy Yip, who recently returned from a holiday at the just-refurbished Club Med Bintan with her family, says: 'My husband and I have a young son and two teenage daughters, so we often go to Club Med, which caters for the kids but wasn't the most comfortable option for us before. But now the rooms, the quality of the furniture, the bathroom amenities are much better. They did a good job on the beds too - I felt like we were in a luxurious resort this time round.'

Michelle Barnsdale-Ward, the owner of a Singapore-based marketing consultancy and mother to three children aged between 18 months and six years, attributes the recent explosion of upmarket family-friendly resorts to the fact that 'the luxury resorts have now accepted that people don't want to give up their five-star experiences when they take their family along; that people would like to share these experiences with their children'.

'What we want are good facilities for both adults and kids, room service, a beach - it's not a holiday unless every member of the family is pampered; unless we're all spoilt. It wasn't easy for us to find places like that a few years ago but things have changed enormously since I had my eldest,' adds the traveller who holidays with her family twice a year 'always at five-star places'.

But just how are the resorts balancing discerning adults' demands and children's needs without something giving? It seems lots of space, a myriad of activities and clear boundaries for the different types of guests weigh in heavily.

Elaborates Shangri-La's Ms Murugan: 'Resorts can offer separate wings or even standalone hotels to cater to the varied needs of guests. Looking specifically at our premises, we offer a choice of three hotels within our fully integrated resort. One of these hotels features dedicated children's facilities while another does not accommodate children below 16 years of age. However, our full range of services and facilities - such as restaurants, private beach, tennis courts and heritage village - is accessible to all guests.'

COME ON IN: Parents looking for a peaceful beach break will be glad for the services of Club Med Bintan's Petit Club

This same concept will keep guests' demands afloat on MSC Fantasia. MSC Cruises Asia senior marketing assistant Pallase Tsang says: 'Travellers now don't have to sacrifice the requirements of varying age groups as we'll have everything from an ultra-luxurious VIP area and a relaxing spa fully devoted to adults' well-being, to a special segment exclusively for the under-18s.' The ship, she adds, will also be staffed with a 1,325-strong team who have been specially selected for their ability to cater to the needs of all ages - another move that aims to 'encourage the development of the family market'.

To realise the huge potential of this market, one only has to speak to Sian Williams. The former travel and tourism public relations specialist - who spent 10 years handling the publicity for companies such as Disney, Universal and the Scottish Tourist Board - set up the United Kingdom-based Baby-Friendly Boltholes website (babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk) when she was pregnant in 2006 and has seen a massive response to it. The award-winning site, which lists stylish child-friendly resorts, was launched with just seven UK properties. 'Two years later,' says Ms Williams, 'it features more than 100 properties worldwide, with traffic regularly reaching over 40,000 hits a month.'

'The boutique-hotel generation is growing up and having children,' she continues. 'They don't want to compromise - and why should they? Plus, we are spending a lot more money on the interiors of our homes these days and no one wants to holiday somewhere that is less comfortable than their own home just because they have children in tow.'

Jenny Loh, marketing manager of Jetabout Holidays, a local travel agency that started a separate arm to cater to the luxury market 18 months ago, agrees that the evolution makes sense. Many high-end brands start off being geared towards adults but eventually grow to incorporate substantial facilities for kids as well, she says, because 'lots of their guests are young couples who, once they have their own families, would like to bring along their children too'.

Still, travellers without children can take heart - some luxury brands have no plans to target kith and kin anytime soon. One such company is top-tier cruise line Silversea. Its regional director for Asia, Melvyn Yap, says: 'A lot of our clientele want privacy and space, and these are people who are paying at least US$500 a night for an experience. We don't want to risk ruining the honeymoon factor for them.'

KIDDIE HEAVEN: On board the superliner MSC Fantasia, children are more than welcome to treats at the La Caramella candy store, a thrilling ride on the F1 simulator, and a journey to the North Pole

This article was first published in The Business Times on Oct 11, 2008.