Attracting guests travelling with children to your holiday rental
Creating a Home Away from Home for Families
November 2024
Families are always a lucrative market —and one that many holiday rental landlords want to attract. But how can you target parents with young kids? Let’s take a look at some of the best strategies to turn families into loyal guests.
Think about your target audience
This may sound silly — after all, you’ve just decided you want to target families! However, it’s worth getting a clearer idea of exactly what you mean. Families have different needs, depending on children’s ages. When you want to know how to adapt holiday rentals for children, this should be at the forefront of your mind.
If you’re looking to attract parents of infants and toddlers, you may want to provide age-specific facilities, such as cots, safety gates on stairs and so on. Young children will appreciate playground equipment in the garden, while older kids may go wild for a selection of board games.
You should also think rationally about your property’s shortcomings. For example, if there are lots of stairs to climb, it may be better not to target parents with young kids. They’ll get tired of having to carry pushchairs up and down flights of steps every day. It could just be perfect for teens and older kids, though.
Choose furniture for family-friendly holiday rentals
In order to keep families happy, you’ll need to make sure your rental fits their needs. Adapted holiday rentals for families always include furniture that kids want. Here are some things to consider:
- Single beds. If you’re only targeting adults, you might just put double beds in your rental. However, families with kids will often want twin beds. You may even offer bunk beds, but keep in mind that these are not suitable for very young children.
- Cots, high chairs and other baby items. These are essential if you want to attract families with infants.
- Toys and games. You don’t need to provide a huge amount, but these are very handy indeed. Give families something to do on a rainy day.
- Play equipment. If your property has a garden, then a swing, slide, or climbing frame could be a big hit.
Remember, when furnishing holiday rentals for families, safety should always be your primary concern. There are extra steps you can take to keep your rental safe, such as securing furniture to the walls to ensure children can’t climb it and knock it down. You may also want to consider family-friendly items in the kitchen, such as non-breakable plastic cups.
A swimming pool can be a big draw for families, but it must be child-safe. That means it should be surrounded by a fence and have a non-slip surface around it. Prominently display your pool’s safety guidelines —for example, make it clear that kids cannot swim unsupervised.
Research family-friendly attractions
No matter how nice your rental is, your guests won’t want to spend all their time cooped up inside. One of the best ways to attract families to holiday rentals is to give them a clear reason to come to the area. That means looking for family-friendly activities and attractions nearby.
Guests will be extremely happy if you can offer them a list of fun things to do in the surrounding area. Theme parks, zoos, playgrounds, and theatres are all good options. You may also want to look into restaurants that are particularly family-friendly or hiking trails that are suitable for youngsters.
To take this to the next level, engage local businesses in cross-selling deals. This way, when guests rent your holiday flat or house, they’ll be able to buy tickets for nearby attractions and experiences — a great way to make their life easier and to increase your profits.
You should also think about activities and experiences that families might like. Choose the right ones. For example, if you have a holiday rental in Italy, cooking classes are very popular. A hands-on chance to make pizza from scratch will definitely be a good one for kids. A session involving more complicated dishes won’t have the same appeal.
Offer children’s rates
Most holiday rental portals allow you to specify separate rates for children and adults. You may even be able to create a sliding scale. This allows babies to stay for free, while parents must pay for children over the age of 4, for example.
If you offer children’s rates, make it clear on your holiday rental website. Potential guests shouldn’t have to search too hard to find this vital information.
Some properties offer family deals for two adults and two kids, but this can be controversial. The model of the traditional nuclear family is not as common as it once was, and deals like this risk alienating single parents or families with just one child.
Think about those finishing touches
If you really want families to rent your house for holidays, you need to consider all the ways you can make it attractive to them. Kid-friendly decor —cheerful pictures on the walls, a playroom, or a nursery— can really appeal. Just keep in mind that you risk alienating non-family guests, so you may have to choose which market you’re going for.
Some landlords like to give kids goodie bags on arrival, containing a few small toys, puzzles, and souvenirs. This is a lovely personal touch that will keep families coming back for more.
If you offer breakfast in your property, make sure there are kid-friendly options. Remember that young children often have allergies and dietary requirements, and check with the parents in advance about this.
Special offers are also a great idea. Families typically go on holiday to celebrate an occasion like a birthday, so why not make it extra special? You could offer a birthday cake or a party pack on your rental website.
Advertise your holiday home correctly
Finally, think about how you market your holiday home. If you want to target a family audience successfully, your advertising should focus on your property’s kid-friendly credentials.
Take photos in which your child-friendly features are prominently displayed. You should also include a floor plan of your property. This is particularly important for parents, as they want to consider the logistics of their stay — how close is their bedroom to the kids’ bedroom? If there’s room in the master bedroom for a crib, you can mention that on your website.
Remember, targeting families does mean that you may lose some single adult travellers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — every successful holiday rental needs to find a niche, and family-friendly properties can be highly profitable. In fact, it’s often better to choose one market and target it closely rather than spreading yourself too thin.