Can Hotels Compete with Airbnb for Family Travel?
Plus, a few places you can stay with your family that don't require you to take out the trash
I hope everyone is having a good week! I’ve been in Fort Worth, Texas on a little reporting trip and have spent the past few days eating damn fine BBQ, drinking salt-rimmed margaritas, and touring through a diverse and expansive trove of art. The city reminded me of Philly in more than one way and I’ll explain my only-slightly far-fetched rationale after I file my stories, I promise.
Now for this week’s topic: my plea to hotels to get it together in the matter of family travel.
I recently got a text from a friend with a photo of an air mattress on the floor of what looked like a very swank hotel room. He’s on vacation with his wife and their three kids, and while they love staying in fancy places, he refuses to pay for two rooms. So he packs … an entire twin air mattress in his carry on and his kids take turns sleeping on it. (They complain a lot, but he sees it as a way to ensure they don’t get spoiled by the luxury.)
Even if you do book two hotel rooms, though, there’s no guarantee they’ll be connected, or even near each other. When we checked into a Conrad in Mexico last fall, they had us on two separate floors, and once, at a hotel in Disney World they tried to put us, with a straight face, in two entirely different sections of the resort that required a tram ride to connect. (In Disney! A pretty family-friendly destination!)
For those who don’t want to book two rooms or pack an air mattress like an unhinged ‘80s dad (I love you, T!) another option is Airbnb. But there are plenty of drawbacks to those, too, which can range from minor annoyances (where to store your bags if you arrive early or check out hours before your flight departs; what to do when you accidentally lock yourself out) to more serious fraud and safety issues.
I personally don’t like staying in Airbnbs, in part because I love hotels, and also because when I’m on vacation, I want a break from regular life. I don’t want to make beds, take out the trash, or even have the option of cooking dinner. (I know it would save money but let me live!)
During the pandemic, some resorts introduced (or leaned in to marketing existing) villas, which offer privacy and more space for families or groups to stay together. But those can be cost prohibitive, some clocking in at tens of thousands of dollars per week, or sometimes per night. (There are exceptions, like at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, where a friend reports that they offer “very reasonably-priced one-bedroom casitas that were perfect” for her family.)
But by and large, there’s a family-sized hole in the hotel market, and it was underscored to me late last year when we stayed at HeartSong at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. At Dolly Parton’s newest Smoky Mountain resort, the cleverly-designed family suites sleep up to six, so our 12-year-old slept on the pull-out couch and the six and 8 year olds spent the night in a cozy little nook of a room where there was just enough space for bunk beds. We were all able to stay in one comfortable room and no one had to smuggle in an air mattress! Dolly is, as always, a thoughtful genius.
It made me wonder why more hotels aren’t thinking about ways to capture the family travel market, especially renovations or new builds that could be doing it with smart design. (Like those built-in bunk beds, or Murphy beds, or cruise ship-esque sleeping nooks — kids can sleep anywhere!) By some accounts, families make up 63% of the leisure travel market. Millennials prioritize traveling more than literally anything else and they’re bringing their kids on their many trips. If more hotels don’t evolve to accommodate these travelers, Airbnb will continue to eat up this market.
Below, I’m sharing some hotels and resorts with family accommodations — some we’ve visited, and some were shared with me (thanks to everyone who answered my IG plea!) If you know of a hotel with rooms that sleep four+, I’d love to hear!
Tourists in the Berkshires, Mass - the Caravan room sleeps 5 (with bunk beds) and the Archer Suite sleeps 6.
Kex Hotel in Portland, Oregon has a Family Room with one queen bed an two sets of bunk beds to sleep up to 6.
Motto by Hilton in New York City has rooms with several configurations (kings, doubles, twin bunks) and offers “Confirmed Connecting Rooms” if they’re available when you book. (It’s shocking to me more hotels don’t do this!)
Great Wolf Lodge, waterpark resorts in 20+ locations in the U.S. and Canada, have KidCabin Suites with bunk beds that sleep 6-7.
Proper hotel in San Francisco lets you book a king room that adjoins with a double double. (Another connecting room guaranteed when booking.)
W Aspen has a room with four ~queen~ bunk beds “cater to a younger adult clientele” and are “a wink to the more hedonistic qualities of Aspen’s past” but if it spares us from an Airbnb I’ll happily bring my young children.
I love this topic. It is surprising how monolithic the hotel industry is. When you get down to it, every hotel is selling identical rooms. Some may have nicer towels, sheets and furnishings, but at their core you are getting 1-2 beds, a chair or a couch, a desk, a television and a bathroom. They are built for one kind of traveler only. We have been confounded by how hard it is to find a place where two people can comfortably work remotely – even in AirBnBs. It feels like there is a real opportunity for someone to capitalize on the digital nomad culture.