In modern day Britain, the idea of going on
holiday no longer embodies an unnecessarily extravagance but is described by
many as a need.
Three British couples were interviewed and
over 50 people responded to an online questionnaire, seeking to understand their
family requirements when staying at a 4/5-star hotel on leisure travel. The
answers were analysed based on the ages of the children within the family unit.
This research concludes that hotels are
failing to cater fully to the British family unit, primarily due to their lack
of appreciation for the vast difference in family requirements, based upon the
age/s of the child/children in the family unit.
Hotel design, parents’ increased anxiety for
child health and safety, age compression, child development and socialisation
are some of the factors explored in this research that are viewed to contribute
to the family holiday experience.
The appropriate age of a ‘child’ in the hotel
industry should be reassessed and a more specific categorisation of children needs
to take place, under at least four sub-age groups, infant (0-1yr),
toddler/pre-schooler (1-5yr), child (5-9yr) and Tween (9-12yr) as each possess a
specific set of needs.
The Family Unit Hotel Wheel proposed at the
end of this study is intended for the use of hotel management for strategic
planning and hotel staff for practical purposes as a “to do” list. It lists the
requirements of a family based on the age/s of the child/children in the family
in order for hotels to provide the necessary requirements for each family unit.
The wheel also lists the common family requirements.
Full research in review for publication
