As a kid, whenever I used to travel with my parents to any tourist destination, we had to face a major issue – finding a child-friendly hotel to stay in. Moreover, it was very difficult those days as it was the early 20’s when the internet was hardly accessible.
Time flies, but some things don’t change. Even today, guests look for kid-friendly hotels, to spend time with their children, amidst a safe and serene environment without compromising on their quality of vacation.
To attract such guests you need to make your hotel child-friendly. How?
Simple, continue reading…
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What is a kid-friendly hotel?
Kid-friendly hotels better known as family hotels, are accommodation facilities that have deployed certain measures with various facilities for kids to enjoy in a safe surrounding.
Let me give you an example. Auchrannie Resort, a beautiful property located in Isle of Arran, United Kingdom, is one of the best child-friendly hotels across the UK.
The resort offers a variety of services and facilities for families with children, making their vacation a wonderful experience. They have a speciality restaurant that has a separate menu for kids.
Moreover, the property arranges for a babysitter if guests require one. Apart from that, the resort has various activities to enjoy such as bikes for exploring the area, games (basketball, volleyball, tennis), swimming pool (a separate one for kids with lifeguard), spa, and whatnot.
Obviously, even you would like to travel to such properties with your families and enjoy it without stressing about what your kids are doing.
So, why not make your hotel child-friendly that would compel guests to choose you over others?
How to make your hotel child-friendly and entertaining?
I’m sure, the above example must have intrigued you to find tips to make your hotel kid-friendly. So, without much ado, let me get straight to the ways you should implement at your property.
1. Allot certain room for families
To begin with, I would suggest you dedicate some of your large rooms (suites or rooms with king-size beds) specifically for families.
The reason why I say this is because it will save your time whenever a family checks in. You can directly allocate them your family room, without even needing it to customise for things like extra beds.
All you need to do is keep those rooms ready for guests travelling with children.
Just invest in some additional amenities apart from your usual ones, deploy them in the rooms, and voila! It’s done.
You might be wondering what those additional amenities are. Let me answer your question in the next point.
2. Get your rooms ready for kids
Suppose, you offer various amenities to your guests in a room such as bathrobes, towels, dental kits, slippers, and TCM. It’s obvious that those would be for adults and would not be feasible for kids.
So, what to do in such a case?
Simple, invest in amenities that can cater to kids. For example, you can vouch for baby dental kits, small sized bathrobes and slippers, hot chocolate mix for kids, or fruit juice and shakes.
You can promote these amenities on your hotel’s website with relevant pictures. This will help you in fetching more bookings from guests looking for child-friendly hotels.
3. Prepare a customised menu and dishes for kids
Now that your rooms are ready, let’s do something more for the kids who would be staying at your hotel. You know children are cranky in nature when it comes to food.
Most of the kids are attracted to fast foods like pizzas, burgers, ice creams, and the list goes on. But they are unhealthy, which is another reason for parents to worry.
This problem gets doubled when they visit any hotel, as kids compel them to order a certain dish, and they don’t even finish it, thereby wasting both food and money.
You can offer a customised menu for kids to deal with such scenarios. The Bedruthan Hotel and Spa, UK, is a perfect reference for this strategy.
They have dedicated an entirely separate restaurant area known as Wild Cafe for kids. They have curated a special menu for children with specific portion size that’s appropriate for one kid, thereby avoiding food wastage and revenue loss.
You can take an idea from this and implement it to make your hotel child-friendly too.
4. Make your hotel babyproof and entertaining
Another important step you need to take before opening your hotel for family guests is creating a safe environment for kids with activities for their entertainment.
First, you need to childproof your hotel; especially, the family rooms.
Here are some tips that can work for you:
- Keep hazardous equipment out of reach
- Install soft carpets on the floor
- Place extra cushions in rooms
- Cover electrical sockets
- Check for any maintenance work
- Avoid keeping any sharp objects in rooms (like cutlery, pen, or pencil)
Apart from that, train your staff to handle emergency situations in case of any accidents. Ask them to take precautionary measures while cleaning guest rooms and floors with children, as a minor mistake can result in a major mishap.
If your property has a swimming pool, keep a separate pool area for kids. Alternatively, you can schedule a separate timing for kids to enjoy.
However, in both cases ensure you keep a lifeguard available for monitoring the children. Also, if your budget allows you, arrange some video games, outdoor trampoline, swings, and slides for kids.
5. Surprise kids with gifts or chocolates at reception
Finally, it’s time to welcome kids at your hotel. But, how to get their attention in the first place?
Welcome them with a small gift like a toy or maybe chocolates. Kids love that!
This is kind of an ice-breaker. If you manage to get their interests in your hotel at the check-in, trust me, they would enjoy staying at your property.
Moreover, if the kids are happy, the parents would definitely consider booking your property again.
6. Provide the parents with engagement activities
With all the above-mentioned steps being implemented at your property, I’m sure the kids would be engaged for quite a time. But, what about parents?
You need to take care of them too. What I mean is, the parents can now relax without being much worried about their kids, and you can do your part by making their stay more engaging.
Offer them activities like candle light dinner, city tour, or high-tea options. You can also arrange for craft or cooking classes, game nights, or any other options for families to enjoy an evening together.
Conclusion
I cannot imagine travelling with kids. Kudos to the parents who travel with their children and properties that cater to kids.
Although it’s an arduous task to make your hotel child-friendly, you can use the tips I’ve mentioned in this blog. So, no more waiting.
Use those ways and start welcoming guests to stay at your property and ask them to leave the stress of entertaining their kids safely on you.
