Appealing To Families

This past Saturday my wife, Monica, gave birth to our first child, Laila Maria van Hartesvelt.

I have spent the past few days staring into the eyes of my little one, and thinking about her future—days filled with joy over the little nuances of her smiles, nights filled with anxiety over how best to raise her. During these restless nights, several things have occurred to me that pertain to this blog.

First, I like what I do. Better yet, I like our industry and the opportunity we have to affect people’s lives. Travel has the power to educate young minds, to expand a young person’s horizons, teach them tolerance and love of diversity. Travel during the formative years can be among a parent’s best teaching tools. As marketers, we play a small, but important, role in that educational process.
Monica and I plan to spoil Laila with experiences, not possessions. By the time she leaves for college, I hope she has been to many of the great cities in this country, traveled abroad, seen historical sites and practiced new languages. I am quite sure that when she grows up, she won’t remember what she got for Christmas when she was 12, but she absolutely will remember where we went on vacation that year.

Powerful marketing taps into the benefits of a product or service, not the features. Too often, hoteliers focus on basic amenities when marketing leisure travel to families. While convenience, services for children and safety all are important, wouldn’t guests with kids be more interested in ways to enrich their vacations? Whether it’s special kid-focused packages, concierge services or simple descriptions of the area, you have a role to play. In fact, if your hotel becomes part of a family’s vacation memories, you will earn a loyalty that few can rival.

For our family, I sincerely hope that little Laila gets to meet many of you over the years. If you see her, give her a wink and point her toward those special places in your area. Help her create amazing memories that will enrich her life. I thank you in advance.