Every guest wants a hotel that fulfils all their needs - business, couple-friendly, family-friendly and so forth. Of course, not every hotel can meet all these needs at once. That’s why hoteliers should decide which segment is their primary and which is secondary.
We all talk about couple-friendly hotels or business hotels. However, there is one segment which is not discussed often - family-friendly hotels. Very often than not, we assume every hotel is ‘family friendly’ since technically, no hotels minds hosting families.
However, to make a hotel truly family-friendly, a hotel needs to have all the amenities to make the stay comfortable for children and families, such as games, activities and amenities. Here, we will talk about how you can make your hotel family-friendly.
So What Is A Family-Friendly Hotel Exactly?
A family-friendly hotel, also known as a kid-friendly hotel, is one that has all the amenities for families and their kids. The main aim of these hotels is to ensure that they are catering to a family as a single group, rather than considering them as separate people. Let us explain what we mean by this.
Usually, hotels provide amenities keeping in mind the convenience of an individual guest or a couple. However, family-friendly hotels consider the family as a unit and provide amenities that are suitable for family members.
The amenities usually provided by a kid-friendly hotel include - a special menu for kids, a kid’s play area, special arrangements such as a babysitter, and also various games and activities catered to kids. The main purpose of these hotels is to provide a great experience for the family as a whole.
Make Your Hotel Family Friendly Now!
Now that we have discussed the concept of a family-friendly hotel, let us now discuss how you can make your hotel kid-friendly. With these tips, you will be able to make your hotel attractive to the guests.
1. Provide Large Rooms Specifically For Families
This may seem obvious and will make you say, “duh!”, many hoteliers don’t consciously keep this in mind. If you have large rooms such as suites or those with king-sized beds, it is always better to keep these rooms specifically for families.
Hoteliers need to keep these rooms ready for those who are travelling with kids, so you won't have to customize, like adding extra beds.
2. Some Additional Amenities Will Do Wonders
Continuing from the previous point, you should add other amenities to the hotel room, along with offering a larger room. Every hotelier should invest in kid-specific room amenities like kid-size dental kits, bathrobes, and also chocolate milk powder. This way, you can make your hotel family-friendly.
Along with the room amenities, you can also provide additional amenities in hotels such as kids' play areas, various outdoor games, indoor games and more. A cricket bat, a football, a chess board and a carrom board will do wonders (trust me!).
3. Kids Menu - They Will Love It
We all have been kids at some point in time, and we know how cranky we were when it came to food. If we wanted something, we wanted it anyhow. Times may have changed, but the kids haven’t. That’s why hotels should provide food options that are comfortable for kids.
Hotels should offer a kid's menu because small kids have a lower appetite than adults or even older kids. This avoids food wastage and loss of revenue and also saves money for the family. This way, you can make your hotel child-friendly as well.
4. Safety - Proceed With Caution
While dealing with kids, safety is everything. Hotels need to ensure that the children are out of harm's way - either from physical objects or unscrupulous people. To make your hotel childproof, you need to do the following things:
Keep hazardous objects away from children
Keep extra cushions in rooms
Have a first aid kit in hotel rooms
Cover electric sockets.
Tighten security to keep unscrupulous people away.
Hotels also need to train their staff to take care while cleaning rooms or performing housekeeping, as the smallest of negligence can lead to disasters. It is also advisable to keep a separate swimming pool for kids.
5. Entertain The Parents Too!
Parents are often exhausted from handling their kids. Hence, hotels should provide something for them as well! There are many activities that parents can enjoy with their kids - such as sightseeing, cooking classes, games, outdoor activities and various other options.
Not only that, you can also offer parents the break they deserve! While the kids are enjoying their activities, the parents can include a spa treatment, candlelight dinners and other couple-based activities. This way, a family as a whole can enjoy their stay.
6. Complimentary Items - They Will Never Go Out Of Style!
Take your family-friendly hotel up a notch and offer kids various complimentary items such as chocolates, merchandise and more! The kids will love it! This serves as an ice-breaker and also establishes your reputation as a family-friendly hotel.
By following these steps, you will be able to establish a family-friendly hotel and target a major segment effectively! And we would like to wish all the family travellers a happy vacation! Read our blogs to know more about the hospitality industry!