Are you family-icious? Get your holiday rental family-ready.
As we all know, self-catering holidays are a popular choice for families. Whether it’s parents with pre-school children taking holidays out of peak season or families with school age children booking your property during the school holidays, it’s a big market.
To ignore the family market is to turn your back on a valuable revenue stream for your holiday rental business. So appeal to families!
— Holiday Rental Biz (@holrentalbiz) May 30, 2015
So how to market your holiday home to the family market. In 5 easy ways:
1. Let parents know you welcome families
Parents need to know that you want families to stay with you. So mention this on your website and on social media. Show images of families spending time at your holiday rental to convince them of this. Let them imagine themselves and their family staying there.
If your key target market is couples, and your website talks to them, don’t change the whole website just add a “Family Friendly” page.
Also make it clear that baby and toddler equipment is available at the cottage and it’s all free of charge.
2. Sleeping arrangements
In your second bedroom provide twin beds or a zip and link. Zip and link beds offer the most flexibility as they convert from a superking size (perfect for a couple) into two single beds when children or friends are staying. Bunk beds are ideal for children and great for space saving but bear in mind that bunk beds will alienate adults and make your property less appealing to them.
3. Provide lots and lots equipment
Baby and toddler equipment
Make a comprehensive list of what’s available and share with parents. A cot, highchair and stairgate are not enough. Include a stroller, a hand blender, a potty, a baby bath, a toddler step, a sterilizer…..
Visit a baby store and see what’s available there and then match it!
Just think how great, as a parent, knowing that you don’t have to find space for all that gear in the boot of your car, or in your suitcase!
Toys
For all age ranges from board games to building bricks to barbie dolls to plastic cars. Don’t forget toys for the bath, pool and garden too and a dressing up box for those rainy days.
Also, provide out and about toys, like a bucket and spade, fishing nets or a kite. Even if parents have packed their own beach toys you can guarantee that yours will be better!
Other equipment
Supply children’s books, CDs and DVDs and cover all age ranges (0-16). Charity shops or second hand stalls are a great place to pick up these items. As long as they are in good condition they don’t need to be brand new.
Don’t forget the kitchen. Plastic cutlery, bowls and cups are better for juniors and leave an apron too so they can help with the cooking (that toddler step will come in handy).
4. Leave gifts for children
This could be a pre-arrival gift sent to them in the post with a message “are you looking forward to your holiday to Autumn Cottage”. Or leave something specifically for them on the welcome tray, like a colouring book, or this chocolate mouse, which would go down a treat!
5. Provide child friendly lists
It’s important for parents to know where to take little ones for days out; where are children welcome? where will they enjoy? So make it easy for them and compile lists on popular child-friendly activities, pubs with children’s menus and restaurants that welcome children.
So is your holiday rental family-icious are you doing what you can to attract families to book… Click To Tweet
Follow these 5 easy ways to make your holiday rental so family friendly that parents will be desperate to book with you!
To ensure you don’t miss any of my tips, blogs or fortnightly newsletters, sign up here and keep up to date with The Business of Holiday Rental.
Until next time!
Karen
Leave a Reply