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| Vice President—Content/Editorial Director, Ruthanne Terrero |
Three ingredients comprise the recipe for the ideal family vacation: preventing conflict amongst clan members at any cost, paving the way for seamless group activities, and elevating the experience so everyone comes home relaxed and enriched. Here are some details to add to the mix.
Awkward Air: Clients may have booked their own seats, but still forewarn them to leave an extra hour to get through security and to double check they have seats together at the check-in desk. If everyone gets off kilter at the airport because of silly mishaps, you can bet they’ll have issues with the hotel, because they’ve had a bad start.
Transfer Trouble: Is the driver at the airport easy to find or are they calling you because there’s a sea of chauffeurs outside security but nary a one for them? Does the vehicle have cold bottled water in it to refresh the weary travelers? How about a beer or two for the parents to take the edge off? Have you asked the driver to have an appropriate sweet treat for the little ones to delight and distract them during the drive?
Connection Chaos: Is the hotel room technology up to snuff with powerful, free Wi-Fi that can tolerate multiple devices? Can it handle streaming video? If there is a cost for it, does that include just one or two devices, or more?
Perfect Pools: No matter where you’ve booked your clients, the swimming pool at the hotel is going to be the main attraction. Is it a fantastic one or is it one that the kids won’t be allowed to splash around in because they’ll be disturbing other guests? Is there an adult pool and another fabulous one for kids, so they won’t be reprimanded for having fun?
Dining Drama: If the family in question is a large one, or has multiple little ones who wander around during meal time, greeting fellow diners and laying on their stomachs to more easily grind bread crumbs into the carpet, check if the hotel has a private area they can call their own. When adults can read their dinner menu without having to look around apologetically at other guests, this vacation is humming along smoothly.
Excellent Excursions: Is it worth paying a bit extra so your family can have its own guide at local attractions? Consider the benefits of not having to wait in endless lines for motorcoaches and rides with strangers. Taking control of the experience might be worth a few extra hundred bucks and will likely create a much more memorable experience.
Photo Finish: If the person paying for this trip has told you that they really want it to be a memorable vacation, convince them ahead of time to send you photos of the trip as it’s unfolding. Include the good, the bad and the ugly. Upload the shots to an electronic photo album service as you receive them and have the hard copy ready upon their return. The initial hard cost will reap you tenfold profits in the future as word of mouth of your good service spreads like wildfire.