At first glance, Carly Roitz’s spa visit looks like any other day of vacation indulgence. The Little Rock, Ark., native sits swaddled in a cushy robe, relaxing in the lounge at the Hyatt (H) Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa with a drink in one hand and a glossy magazine in the other. Any moment, her “facialist” will arrive, and the real pampering will begin. But a closer look shows there’s something a little, well, different about this spa-not just the hot pink walls and bean bag chairs, but the Hannah Montana soundtrack and tables stocked with Teen Vogue. Did we mention that Roitz is 13 years old?
Looks like the travel industry has finally called off the family feud. Indeed, family vacationers, many of whom say they’ve gotten short shrift of late, are now finding themselves in the VIP line, thanks to the latest shift in the topsy-turvy travel market. New York University hospitality professor Bjorn Hanson estimates that family vacationers made up about 35 percent of U.S. hotel business in 2009, up from 25 percent in 2007. On the high end, the Four Seasons recently debuted a range of Family Values packages, featuring no-charge extras like babysitting and in-room sundae making. More affordable properties are also in the game, with Park City Mountain Resort launching a new Web site, Snowmamas.com, to provide tips on making family ski vacations easier and more wallet-friendly. And it’s not just classic kids’ destinations that are in a family way. Tour operator Abercrombie & Kent has added family-friendly tours to India and Morocco, while Loews (L) Miami Beach Hotel, located in the heart of South Beach clubland, is betting on families bonding over raw fish with SushiSkool, a class on chopstick basics and “sushi etiquette.”
Of course, this isn’t just about the travel industry suddenly craving some family time. Business travel, usually the sector’s biggest cash cow, has taken quite a hit, with corporations spending about 15 percent less on travel in 2009 than in 2008, according to research firm PhoCusWright. What’s more, a recent survey from travel-trend watcher YPartnership found that 43 percent of leisure travelers reported traveling with children in 2009, up from just 26 percent in 2000. All of which makes homing in on families a no-brainer for the travel industry. “In good times, family is a bad word,” says Mark Lunt, principal at Ernst & Young’s hospitality practice, noting that families tend to spend far less than expense account-wielding business travelers. “Now they’d rather have heads in beds than worry about people who visit the minibar.”
But as many travel companies are finding out, catering to today’s family takes more than a pool and tired old crib. Sure, some family travelers’ gripes are minor. (Offering kids cookies at bedtime? Great idea, provided you’re not the one putting them to sleep.) But other issues, like assuming that “family” equals two adults and two kids, can leave single parents or grandparents out in the cold. And many of these amenities can come with not-so-family-friendly price tags; the Mother and Daughter Teen Re-Treat package at the Spa at Pinehurst in N.C., for one, costs an allowance-busting $395 for two and a half hours of pampering. (The spa says that’s a $50 savings over à la carte prices.) To see who’s getting it right-and who needs a time-out-we look at the latest in multigenerational getaways.
Family vacations have been around since the first child uttered the immortal words, “Are we there yet?” Still, the sector didn’t come into its own until the rise of the Magic Kingdom (DIS), which introduced vacationers to the idea of a whole trip built around kids. Next came resort-based kids’ clubs, with full- or half-day programs offering activities and child care, typically marketed as a way for parents to take the family along but still enjoy a french fry-free dinner or two. This divide-and-conquer strategy still has plenty of fans, but an increasing number of travel companies are offering services intended to keep families together from arrival to checkout. After all, says Marla Block, founder of family travel Web site PlanetZee: “You’re going on vacation because you want to spend time together.”
One pioneer of the new togetherness movement is Tauck Bridges, the family-oriented branch of Tauck tours. The company runs 15 itineraries, all structured to encourage “shared enrichment.” The idea? As tour director LeAnne Brennan puts it, “If grandma doesn’t do it, the kids don’t do it.” (On the “Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure” tour, activities include scavenger hunts and strudel making.) And to cater to this all-ages crowd, the company tweaked its standard tour setup-moving between hotels less frequently (families aren’t known for traveling light), trading five-star perks for kid-friendly pools and starting later each morning to avoid tired, grumpy little faces.
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