I would like to set you a challenge.
Find me a hotel in say Boston which can accommodate 2 Adults, 2 Children, in two connecting rooms or a suite (with min 1 room), where there are two bedrooms, and ideally 3 beds.
Give it a try.
Things you’ll notice.
You have to specify 1 room for 2 adults,+ 2 Children. You’ll get twin double bedrooms which technically works, but doesn’t match the challenge.
You’ll find suite(s) but you’ll have no real clue whether or not you can add an extra bed, yet alone 2, or whether there are separate bedrooms or just 1 big room with a sofa. You might find something, but probably not in a family budget!
You’ll not be given a clear picture of whether or not it has separate rooms (in the case of a suite). So you’ll try 2 rooms. But you’ll now notice that you can’t have your kids in another room, and once you find 2 rooms you have no guarantee that they’ll actually be connecting rooms or even on the same floor.
My kids go to bed at 7pm, and whilst we’re on holiday we like to try to keep to our routine. At home our kids have separate rooms and on holiday they often share (each in their own bed). Once they’re in bed, I’d like to read, watch TV etc – not sit in darkness. Surely my problem isn’t just mine.
The young family market exists, and maybe I expect too much, but its almost impossible to find what I want from OTAs. (Some do exist, but they are super rare!), and I find myself searching endlessly regretting the idea of suggesting a hotel!
AirBnB caters for this well, I can ask for a property with min rooms, and min beds (sometimes the bed is a sofa bed which is tricky but on the whole this is clear).
I suspect because hotels sell by room and most AirBnB sell per property this makes it easier, but I long for the day when OTAs will cater for my requirements, hopefully as technology develops at least one OTA will cater for this segment and make a lot of young families much happier.