How Leading Luxury Hotels Turn Kids Clubs Into Booking Magnets

Kids clubs are luxury hotels’s most underutilised booking asset.

Kids clubs occupy a strange space in luxury hospitality. They're not revenue centres like rooms or F&B, they're not operational necessities like housekeeping, and there's rarely deep expertise around children's programming within hotel management teams. So most kids clubs just drift along, functional but often unremarkable.

The reality isn't that GMs and hoteliers don't care about them. They're juggling countless priorities that directly impact the bottom line. And the kids club manager, however passionate, rarely holds the influence to push their agenda up the priority list.

From a design perspective, most GMs have inherited facilities that work adequately. When capital allocation decisions arise, upgrading kids clubs always ranks behind room renovations, restaurant concepts or other facility upgrades. It's understandable given these have clearer ROI metrics and more obvious guest impact.

But here’s the thing - kids clubs matter to luxury properties more than ever before. They are a massively underutilised asset. And when optimised strategically, they don't just accommodate families, they actively drive bookings and secondary spend throughout the property.

The Hidden Revenue Driver

Kids clubs drive secondary revenue and distinguish the hotel’s offering in a meaningful way.

Most luxury properties already possess the basic infrastructure for exceptional kids clubs. And it might surprise you that the difference between adequate and exceptional isn't massive capital investment, it's treating kids clubs as strategic assets.

Let’s start with best practice here - Six Senses implements consistent kids programming across their portfolio. “Grow With Six Senses” incorporates their six dimensions of wellness, encouraging kids to connect with nature and gain useful life skills through play. It's not expensive, but it creates a signature experience that differentiates their entire brand in the family market.

Here's where conventional thinking gets it wrong: kids clubs don't generate direct revenue in obvious ways. You can't charge premium rates for basic programming without looking miserly. The real value lies in secondary revenue and overall hotel spend increases.

Properties that treat kids clubs as booking drivers approach every decision differently. They hire staff for personality and enthusiasm. They design programming that reflects their brand story. They measure success by family retention and total property spend, not kids club head counts.

When children are genuinely engaged, parents stay longer, dine on property more frequently, and utilise adult amenities like spas and bars they couldn't access otherwise. The ripple effects touch every revenue stream, but they're harder to track than direct F&B sales or room rates.

After years developing these facilities, I'm convinced that kids clubs represent one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost opportunities for luxury hotels to differentiate themselves. Families have endless luxury hotel options - properties that optimise their kids clubs capture disproportionate market share while competitors lose bookings to smarter operators. Kids clubs are simply not getting the strategic airtime they need.

The Business Reality: When Children Drive Decisions

The data tells a story that challenges everything we thought we knew about family travel decision-making. Research shows that 67% of trip ideas actually stem from children. Not parents researching destinations, but kids expressing preferences that shape where families go. Even more striking, 56% of families now choose hotels based specifically on kids club quality.

I tell property owners this all the time, and I watch their expressions change. They're still thinking about kids clubs as amenities that keep children occupied while parents enjoy the "real" hotel experience. That's backwards thinking in today's market.

Hotels with strong family amenities see 12% increases in overall revenue. This isn't coincidence. When children are genuinely excited about a hotel, everything changes. Families stay longer, spend more on property, and return the following year.

Here's what really gets my attention - 25% of brand preferences form during childhood. Properties that create magical experiences for eight-year-olds are cultivating customers for the next thirty years. Yet most hotels still approach kids programming with the enthusiasm of a compliance exercise.

Thoughtful zoning and themed areas should extend the hotel’s brand identity into kids club programming.

Brand Translation Over Generic Programming

Translating sophisticated brand positioning into experiences that resonate with children requires genuine creativity. I've worked with minimalist luxury brands that created serene, nature-inspired kids spaces - no primary colours or cartoon characters in sight. The children loved them because they felt sophisticated, not patronised.

Take what Aman has achieved at its flagship Amanpuri property in Thailand. From the Eco-Beach Discovery Centre to its Thai cooking classes, batik art workshops and nature excursions, Aman has developed programming that authentically extends the resort's cultural positioning without feeling forced or educational in a heavy-handed way. Children engage with Thai culture through play, and parents see genuine value in the experience.

Or consider Four Seasons Costa Rica, where the kids club was redesigned to mirror the surrounding jungle habitat. Children learn about local flora and fauna through immersive play, and the experience is unmistakably tied to that specific destination - something no competitor can replicate.

The unfortunate reality is that most properties default to the same tired approach with bright colours, plastic furniture, and activities that have nothing to do with their brand identity. They're missing a massive opportunity. The best kids clubs authentically extend the property's character into child-appropriate experiences.

At one resort known for cultural immersion, we integrated local artisan workshops where children learned traditional crafts alongside master craftspeople. At an adventure-focused property, we created exploration circuits that changed weekly, mimicking the property's emphasis on discovery. These weren't wellness programs masquerading as kids activities - they were natural extensions of what made each property unique.

As I’ve mentioned before, there's no one-size-fits-all formula. Those that translate their authentic brand DNA create something competitors can't replicate even when it comes to kids clubs. And properties that try to copy competitors end up with forgettable experiences.

The Staff Factor

Staff connections drive family loyalty and create an environment where kids are genuinely excited to visit the kids club.

Staff matter more than amenities when it comes to kids clubs. I've seen spectacular facilities fail because of disengaged staff, and modest spaces succeed brilliantly with enthusiastic teams.

Children form emotional connections with people, not playground equipment. When a six-year-old asks to return to a hotel specifically to see "Miss Sarah" from the kids club, that's the kind of loyalty money can't buy. These connections drive repeat bookings and generate the authentic content - on TripAdvisor or Reddit - that influences other families.

The properties getting this right understand the fundamental truth that supervision and engagement are completely different things. Babysitting is not your offering. Creating an environment where kids wake up excited about kids club activities requires staff who genuinely enjoy being around children and have the programming support to make magic happen.

Take Hyatt Regency Danang's approach with their massive Camp Hyatt facility. Four themed zones - Earth, Water, Fire, Wood - give staff the flexibility to move children between different energy levels and activities throughout the day. The zoning means one staff member can lead quiet arts and crafts while another runs high-energy outdoor games, all within the same facility.

I always tell properties that good facilities enable great staff to shine. A well-designed space with flexible zones, proper storage, and age-appropriate amenities gives enthusiastic staff the tools they need. But the reverse doesn't work - spectacular facilities can't compensate for staff who view kids club duty as a chore.

The operational sweet spot combines passionate staff with thoughtful programming and spaces designed for engagement. When these elements align, families stay longer and consume more on-property services. The business impact becomes measurable.