Dive Brief:
- The family travel market will see robust growth in the coming year, with 92% of parents saying they are likely or very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months, according to the 10th annual U.S. Family Travel Survey by the Family Travel Association and the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, in partnership with Good Housekeeping.
- The majority of parents surveyed also said they plan to either increase (39%) or maintain (42%) their spending on domestic travel in the next year, according to the survey, which gathered responses from 1,596 U.S. parents and grandparents on the Good Housekeeping mailing list this past summer.
- Hotels were the most preferred accommodation type among both parents and grandparents, with affordability and room size being top of mind for respondents.
Dive Insight:
Eighty percent of parents and 51% of grandparents said they would stay at hotels compared to other lodging choices, including vacation rentals, on a family trip in the coming 12 months.
Cleanliness and sanitation is the dominant factor for families when choosing accommodations, according to the survey. The second most important factor is proximity to attractions and activities, followed by safety and security. Value for the price paid was an important factor for more than half (53%) of respondents as well.
A June Deloitte report found that American consumers are shifting their spending to brands they perceive as having more value for their price, including hotels, amid ongoing economic uncertainty.
Affordability is a key consideration for family travelers, the FTA-NYU survey found. Among parents, 73% said affordability was a challenge, with 45% saying they will avoid hotels and airlines that charge extra fees. Another 50% said they will seek out lodging options that offer kitchen and dining facilities for in-room meals.
“While the emotional desire to travel is strong, the economic reality creates a major obstacle,” Anna Abelson, adjunct instructor at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and a co-author of the survey, said in a statement obtained by Hotel Dive.
Hotels also need more larger or connected rooms to accommodate families, including those with several generations, respondents said. Multigenerational groups are a significant contributor to the growing family travel market, with 57% of parents planning to travel with grandparents and children in the coming year, according to the survey. Traveling with extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) is also becoming increasingly popular.
This shift in travel demand could bring significant gains for hotels, with kid-friendly hospitality posing a $175 billion opportunity for hotels globally, according to a 2024 study from hospitality consultancy Wanderland London.
The firm’s co-founder Alicia Zur-Szpiro told Hotel Dive at the top of the year that multigenerational trips often entail guests booking multiple rooms for multiple nights, which can greatly benefit hotels. “This is a hugely spend-heavy type of guest profile,” she added.
