Kid-friendly hotels attempt to attract the family crowd by offering…well, everything. From additional activities to pools the whole family can dive right into, it doesn’t get better for children young or old. In fact, kid-friendly hotels are such a Godsend for most travelers that the majority will be willing to pay a premium for this promise of an enjoyable. Unfortunately, many family-friendly resorts fall short in some surprisingly simple ways.
This can lead to poor reviews, frustrated families, and a guarantee that those visitors will never return. It’s certainly bad for business, and it’s something hotel owners can avoid by simply considering the following common family hotel mistakes, and how to rectify them.
#1 - Basic Health and Safety Oversights
While you can’t exactly childproof an entire hotel, owners of establishments that advertise as kid-friendly want to get as close to this as possible. Yet, countless hotels fall down in key health and safety areas. This is especially true at the poolside, where a lack of designated areas or fencing can quickly lead to unnecessary tripping and even drowning risks. Stairs are another risk area and may be either too steep or poorly equipped for younger children. Equally, many hotels entirely overlook vital staff training like basic first aid, right through to more specialist focuses like water safety training, or even understanding correct choking procedures.
Each of these oversights can have a catastrophic impact should an emergency arise, especially if it involves younger guests. However, they’re also relatively easy to overcome. For instance, ensuring gated, age-restricted pool areas, each of which is overseen by a fully trained lifeguard, could significantly cut down on swimming pool accidents. Equally, something as simple as ensuring deep step designs complete with well-tested commercial railing systems next to all sheer drops can enable kids to easily move around the hotel without parental worry.
Training should also be a pressing focus, both when employing new members of staff, and as regular refreshers that ensure everyone on site knows what to do should an emergency arise.
# 2 - Charging Daily for Kids Clubs
Kids clubs are one of the primary selling points of a family hotel, and promise the chance for parents to relax by the pool knowing that their kids are fully entertained and happy. This is a large part of the reason why parents will often seek a resort like this, yet a surprising amount of hotels attempt to charge as much as $100 for each day children spend in these clubs.
This is problematic for various reasons. For one thing, steep club charges are off-putting. Parents are already paying more to spend their family vacation at a kid-suitable resort. High daily fees on top of that will simply see travelers looking elsewhere. Equally, if you’re charging per day for clubs that need paying in advance, you’re significantly limiting the options of families who may simply want the kids to drop by for an hour or two in the afternoon.
Obviously, this is a difficult issue to navigate – making your club free would probably see you out of pocket, considering the staff and supplies needed to make this work. However, there are easier ways around the problem that could see you earning more in the long run. For one thing, it’s worth switching to a drop-in fee or an hourly rate, allowing families to more easily send their kids to your club as and when their itinerary is free. Equally, it’s worth only charging extra for specific activities, and making sure that these involve plenty of supplies that kids can take back to their parents (e.g. craft bits, etc.), to justify that cost.
# 3 - Forgetting to Make Fun at Every Stage of a Stay
Fun is the name of a family resort holiday, but even if hoteliers perfect this with features like game rooms and splash pads, they may forget to prioritize fun activities during more boring stay elements, like check-in or dinner time. This is a mistake because it makes kids more likely to misbehave and parents more stressed, which is not what you want.
Ideally, a kid-friendly hotel should prioritize childhood fun no matter where they are in their stay. A great example of this can be seen in Legoland hotels, which typically include large Lego play areas in the lobby for fun as soon as families arrive/check in. Equally, Disney hotels typically see character dinners keeping kids fully entertained, even while everyone eats
And, don’t think fun should end once families close their hotel room doors, either. Again in keeping with Disney and Legoland, it can be worthwhile adding fun little nods into your rooms, such as treasure hunts, prizes, or even just a few craft/coloring activities.
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# 4 - Failing to Accommodate Large Families
Kid-friendly hotels face the challenge of needing to accommodate entire families, rather than just couples. This is an easy enough goal to achieve for families of four, with generous rooms easily allowing for two singles and a double. But, many hotels fail to offer more than that for larger families, who may have to either look elsewhere or face paying for two rooms.
There are a few ways around this, depending on the size and facilities available in a hotel. For one thing, hoteliers could simply offer a family discount for second-room bookings. While this doesn’t entirely alleviate the inconvenience, it does show families that you’re doing what you can, which will go a long way.
Where possible, it’s also worth at least attempting to offer a few larger family rooms. To some extent, including additions like camp beds or sofa beds could work for this. Equally, it might be worth considering the addition of at least a few apartments to ensure that even families of five or more can enjoy a comfortable visit.
Conclusion
Kid-friendly hotels have a whole lot going for them, but their appeal can quickly fade when they make these common mistakes. Luckily, it’s never too late to get the family crowd back onside with these top suggestions!
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