Family Travel: Holiday Inn Study Explores Simple Holidays
Holiday Inn has released new research suggesting that parents may place more pressure on themselves to create extraordinary vacations than their children actually need. The findings offer a fresh perspective on family travel, particularly as hotels look for ways to serve guests who increasingly expect flexibility, convenience and meaningful experiences during their stays.
Published on October 8, 2026, the survey commissioned by Holiday Inn, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, questioned 750 parents of children aged 12 and under in Germany. It found that 86% feel responsible for making family holidays special, while nearly seven in ten believe their children appreciate small, carefree moments more than expensive attractions or elaborate experiences. The study captures parents' perceptions rather than responses collected directly from children, an important distinction when interpreting its findings. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
The results raise an interesting question for the hospitality industry: are hotels sometimes concentrating on creating more activities when families may also need more opportunities to enjoy their time together?
A Different Perspective on Family Travel
Family vacations often involve balancing the expectations of several generations.
Parents must consider accommodation, transportation, dining, entertainment and the interests of children who may have different preferences depending on their ages.
This can create complicated itineraries designed to make every day feel memorable.
Holiday Inn's research suggests that a less structured approach may be equally appealing.
According to the survey, parents believe children would welcome additional time for play and adventure, as well as more spontaneous activities and opportunities to spend time together.
The findings do not suggest that major attractions are unimportant. Instead, they highlight the potential value of combining planned experiences with unscheduled time.
For hotels, this distinction matters.
A property can offer an extensive activities calendar, but families may also appreciate comfortable gathering areas, accessible food options and the freedom to spend an afternoon without following a predetermined schedule.
These elements form part of the overall guest experience, even when they are less visible than a resort's headline attractions.
Children Are Becoming Part of the Travel Planning Conversation
Another finding concerns how families make vacation decisions.
Holiday Inn reports that 40% of surveyed parents actively seek their children's opinions when planning trips.
Among the decisions in which children participate, activities and excursions account for 70%, followed by food and beverage choices at 58%.
These figures show that children can influence more than the destination itself.
They may help determine how families spend their time, where they eat and which experiences become part of a vacation.
Why Children's Preferences Matter to Hotels
For hospitality businesses, understanding the different people involved in a booking can improve how services are designed and communicated.
Parents generally manage the reservation and budget, but the travel experience belongs to the entire family.
Hotels therefore have an opportunity to make younger guests feel included without transferring responsibility away from adults.
Small gestures may contribute to this approach.
A child-friendly check-in experience, a flexible restaurant menu or an activity that encourages families to make decisions together can make a stay feel more personal.
Importantly, these services do not necessarily require large investments.
They often involve adapting existing spaces, improving communication or giving families more choices during their visit.
Holiday Inn Introduces the Chief Holiday Officer Initiative
Alongside the research, Holiday Inn announced a new initiative in Germany.
During the autumn school holidays, children staying at participating Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn – the niu hotels will be welcomed as Chief Holiday Officers.
The programme includes a symbolic badge and a holiday wish list intended to encourage younger guests to express how they would like to spend their time.
Rather than positioning children as passive participants, the initiative invites them to contribute ideas to the family itinerary.
The concept also provides a practical example of how a hotel brand can translate consumer research into a guest-facing activity.
Whether families use the wish list to plan excursions, select activities or simply reserve time to relax, the underlying idea is to encourage shared decision-making.
The initiative is scheduled for Germany during the autumn school holiday period. Holiday Inn has not announced a broader international rollout in the October 8 release. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
Hotel Design and the Value of Shared Spaces
One of the operational questions raised by the study concerns the role of common areas.
Hotel lobbies have traditionally served as arrival and departure points.
Contemporary hospitality design often gives these spaces additional functions, including dining, informal meetings, relaxation and social interaction.
Holiday Inn identifies its Open Lobby concept as part of its approach to flexible guest experiences.
The spaces are intended to accommodate different activities throughout the day, allowing families to gather, eat, play games or prepare for their next outing.
For parents traveling with children, that flexibility can be particularly useful.
A shared area may provide a comfortable setting for an unplanned break between activities, while allowing family members to remain together.
Creating Opportunities for Unstructured Time
The concept of unstructured time has broader implications for resorts and urban hotels.
Not every moment of a vacation needs a scheduled activity.
Families may benefit from spaces that are easy to use without reservations, equipment or complicated arrangements.
Hotels can consider how seating layouts, dining hours, accessibility and recreational areas support these interactions.
Such decisions affect how guests experience a property beyond the accommodation itself.
They also connect hotel design with service delivery, since staff must understand how shared spaces are intended to function.
Food and Beverage Remains Central to Family Hospitality
Dining represents another area in which children influence the travel experience.
The Holiday Inn survey found that parents recognize children's preferences as an important part of food and beverage decisions.
This is relevant for hotels because meals are among the few activities that families may share several times each day.
Restaurants must often accommodate different appetites, schedules and dietary preferences within the same group.
Holiday Inn has long incorporated family-oriented dining into its service model through its Kids Stay & Eat Free programme.
Under the company's published terms, eligible children can receive complimentary meals from participating hotel restaurants when accompanying adults meet the applicable dining requirements.
Age limits and conditions vary by region, and guests should confirm eligibility with the individual property. IHG Hotels & Resorts
For hotel operators, the relationship between family dining and guest satisfaction extends beyond pricing.
Menu variety, service timing, portion sizes and restaurant atmosphere all influence whether the experience feels convenient.
Families may also value the ability to choose between a longer restaurant meal and a quick, informal dining option.
Providing that flexibility can be as important as offering a dedicated children's menu.
What the Family Travel Research Can and Cannot Tell Us
Although the findings provide useful insight, their scope deserves attention.
The survey was conducted among parents in Germany, and its conclusions reflect their reported experiences and assumptions about their children.
It does not establish that children in every travel market share identical preferences.
Cultural expectations, household budgets, destination types and children's ages may all influence vacation decisions.
The public announcement also does not establish a direct relationship between simpler itineraries and hotel revenue, repeat bookings or guest satisfaction scores.
Those outcomes would require additional research.
Nevertheless, the study identifies questions worth exploring through hotel guest feedback and operational data.
Properties can examine whether families use recreational facilities as expected, which dining arrangements they prefer and how frequently they request changes to planned activities.
Understanding those behaviors could help operators develop services that respond to actual guest needs rather than assumptions.
What the Findings Mean for the Hospitality Industry
The wider relevance of Holiday Inn's research lies in how hotels define a valuable family experience.
A memorable vacation does not always depend on the number of attractions included.
Convenience, comfort, personal attention and the opportunity to spend meaningful time together also contribute to how families remember a stay.
For hotel operators, this suggests several areas for consideration.
Guest services can provide information that helps families make decisions without overwhelming them with options.
Food and beverage teams can offer flexible dining arrangements that accommodate children and adults.
Design and operations teams can evaluate whether public spaces encourage guests to relax and interact naturally.
Travel advisors may also find value in discussing a family's preferred pace of travel instead of concentrating exclusively on destination highlights.
These approaches are not limited to Holiday Inn.
They are relevant across city hotels, resorts and other accommodation formats serving multigenerational travelers.
The central editorial lesson is not that hotels should eliminate structured entertainment.
Rather, operators can consider how organized experiences and personal freedom coexist within the same stay.
For families navigating different interests and expectations, that balance may help determine whether a vacation feels enjoyable or exhausting.
Holiday Inn's latest research brings attention to a familiar but important dimension of hospitality: creating an environment where guests have the space and flexibility to enjoy being together.
