Ask most parents of young children (10 and under) where they are spending New Year’s Eve and Day and the answer you will most likely hear is, “We’ll be at home with the kids”. Your marketing team’s mission is simple: Change that answer to, “We’ll be celebrating at a hotel that has an awesome family New Year’s Eve Package-it’s our tradition!” Kids get excited about New Years Eve; they can stay up late and celebrate. A well-designed package that includes a celebration earlier in the day for the family, and options later for the parents, will provide families with an exciting way to begin each new year and create tremendous good will for your hotel or brand. A highly visible and properly marketed plan reaching for national rather than just local or regional media coverage should introduce families to your package and highlight your brand’s commitment to families, even if they don’t actually book the package.

I recently asked about 40 of my daughters’ classmates, campmates, friends and associates, all between the ages of 6 and 10, if they could go to any hotel in the country which hotel would they choose. The answers I heard ...