Travelling as a family is an opportunity to share moments together, to strengthen family ties weakened by daily life. However, for some families, hotel holidays can prove to be a real headache (cost of extra activities, children’s pace…). They then prefer to rent an independent apartment for more privacy. However, family travel is a very lucrative market for the hotel industry, representing nearly $500 million worldwide. This is why more and more hoteliers have introduced offers for families. What are you waiting for?
Adaptating the institution’s infrastructure
When families book a hotel, they pay close attention to the facilities on offer. Although family holidays are an opportunity to share moments with the children, it is also a chance for parents to take the pressure off the daily routine. By creating an area dedicated to children, parents can rest while the children let off steam without disturbing the other guests of the hotel. This space can be set up near the reception to occupy the children during check-in and check-out. The food court is also a strategic place, parents can take the time to enjoy their meal while the children have fun next door.
A few years ago, when a family wanted to spend a vacation in a hotel, they had to book two separate rooms for accommodation. This doubled the price of the reservation, which could discourage some people. If a hotel wishes to welcome families, it is necessary to offer accommodation adapted to this type of clientele. This is why some establishments offer rooms for 4 people where the children sleep on a sofa bed or communicating rooms with a common lounge. For more flexibility, you can create rooms with a removable partition, parents are free to arrange the room as they wish. Remember that families with young children are likely to stay in your establishment. Adapted equipment (cot, bathtub, booster seat, changing table…) should be provided.
Provide activities
Today, parents are increasingly taking their children’s opinions into account when it comes to holiday activities. Making children happy is also satisfying parents. Although the holidays are an opportunity for parents to discover a new region, children can quickly get bored with the endless hikes. Transforming the traditional visits to historical sites with adventure books is a good way to discover a region while having fun. Enigmas, colouring, little games… everything is there to arouse the children’s curiosity. The hike becomes an adventure and parents look forward to sharing pleasant moments as a family.
Some establishments are fortunate to benefit from their proximity to amusement parks. Find out what activities are available in the vicinity of your establishment. Our territory has more than twenty leisure parks spread over the different departments. Finally, don’t forget that children marvel at everything. A game of bowling or a walk at the zoo are simple and easily accessible things that families will enjoy. Your mission is to communicate about possible activities in the surrounding area.
To relieve parents, you can also set up a children’s club. Supervised by the animation team, the children take advantage of the activities organized for a few hours, it’s an opportunity for them to make friends. During this time, parents can take advantage of this time without the children to visit or simply rest in peace.
Create custom pricing
In order to attract families to your establishment, special pricing should be put in place. The first criterion of travellers, the price will influence the choice of hotel. By offering rates adapted to families, the hotelier differentiates itself from its competitors who do not offer this model. Thus, it is recommended to create packages that include accommodation, meals and activities. In addition to simplifying the organization of the stay, this allows parents to pay a global price without having to pay additional fees once on site.
Offering a special family rate is becoming more and more common in the hotel industry. However, some hoteliers go even further by offering personalised formulas according to the type of family. This strategy makes it possible to stand out from traditional formulas. Among the offers on offer are the “Pass tribu” for large families or rates adapted to single-parent families. In some cases, the hoteliers offer the children a free or partially free stay.
Welcoming families to your hotel is an increasingly common practice. It must be said that this type of clientele represents a strong market share. However, it is not enough to declare access to the hotel open to families. A whole strategy must be put in place, from the development of the establishment’s infrastructure to the sales techniques used to promote the hotel to this clientele.
