Move over mom and dad, it’s your teens and tweens that hotels are now looking to target. Travel to a just about any resort and you’ll see—it’s all about Generation Y.
If you are a Generation X-er (like me) your childhood vacation memories likely contain flashbacks of time spent sitting in the backseat of a station wagon squished between siblings, suitcases, and saran-wrapped salami sandwiches. Forget about stretching out in air-conditioned SUVs or minivans decked out with DVD players and built in coolers. Please! We were lucky if our wagon made to the Budgetel without getting a flat and once we got there the battle shifted from getting a window seat to getting a bed (or rollaway) versus sleeping on the floor.
Oh have times changed. Today, the travel industry has made it anti-vogue for young vacationers to sacrifice an ounce of luxury. Not only do they not have to fight for a bed, most hotels now offer youngsters their own kid-themed suites stocked with DVDS, CDs, specialty spa and dining menus and kid-centered entertainment and clubs. They are called Generation Y travel programs and they are gaining in popularity.
One such property offering the program is Oahu’s Hilton Hawaiian Village. The highlight of their kids-only amenity package is admission to the newly opened Yspa, which caters to teens and tweens. Featured treatments there include a Heavenly Massage to rub away school blues; Surfers’ Scrub, an exfoliating treatment after a day of activities; and the Fabulous Fruity Facial and Acne Attack Facial.
Travel experts attribute the growing trend of teen spa programs to the adage: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” In other words, mom and dad aren’t the only ones who need rejuvenation while on vacation; kids want to share in the experience as well. According to new reports, family recruiting is being taken to new heights within the travel industry. In the past five years the market has seen an increased number of hotel to condominium or suite conversions, a growing number of vacation club and time-share operations and a preponderance of amenities for the younger crowd.
I guess this means that salami sandwiches are a thing of the past.
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