How to plan the best Group Holiday

IF the lockdowns taught us one thing, it’s that spending time with friends and family is precious. More and more we seem to be doing just that on our holidays, making group trips more popular than ever. Some travel companies report almost double the bookings for group stays this year compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Planning a group trip is clearly a popular idea, but it isn’t easy. We host all kinds of groups at Moreton House, so here are our top tips for planning the perfect group stay.

Group holidays are one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry

1. Nominate an organiser

It may be a holiday, but unless someone drives the decisions, this holiday will never get off the ground. If you suggest the idea of a group trip, be prepared to take the lead and to make a few executive decisions. When booking your accommodation or any activities, it’s really difficult for the hotel or travel operator to deal with multiple conflicting requests or instructions, so there needs to be a specific name on the booking at least to liaise on the group’s behalf.

Leading doesn’t mean doing everything, however. The key to success will be delegation to split the work load – take on an evening meal plan each, or an excursion plan per family, or split up the purchasing (breakfast supplies, wine, beer, BBQ, and so on). Depending on where you choose to stay, you may find some help there too. At Moreton House, for example, we offer concierge services. We are happy to assist groups by suggesting the best local excursions, helping to plan any special celebrations, advising places to eat and organising deliveries of food or meals throughout the stay - take advantage of all that local knowledge.

2. Pick a great venue

Groups will have fun wherever they stay, but a great venue can make things better. Our advice is to choose a holiday home with lots of communal spaces, rather than a hotel (unless you find a boutique hotel you can have to yourselves). You’ll want a place you can all dine together, but also spaces where you can relax and chat while the children play or after their bedtime. Especially if you secure exclusive use of a large property or house, you’ll be able to mingle in peace without having to plan and timetable every moment.

Depending on the type of group, you may have a fairly big checklist of features you’ll need. For multi-generational families, for example, you might have members with limited mobility, who need a more accessible shower or a place without stairs, for example. There might also be young children and babies, so safe places to play, suitable bedrooms and cots might be a priority too. If only one of you has a dog, that will also need to be on the checklist. Many of the accommodation listing sites have helpful search functions that allow you to check the features you need. We list with GroupAccommodation.com who offer lots of search checklists, plus options sorted by group type (multigeneration, multiple family, hen or stag, retreats etc).

Better still if you can find accommodation that allows not only a large communal space, but also some privacy for different family units. Our venue, for example, offers a dining room, lounge and kitchen big enough for all, plus a shared courtyard dining space, indoor games room and gardens. But there are extra kitchens and lounges too, so the spaces can be treated as semi-separate apartments. This allows each family to stick to their morning or bedtime routines if they want to, or find a quiet lounge if they just need a break. And toddlers or babies don’t disturb the grandparents, making it less tiring all round. can also help when different elements of the group are working with different budgets. Harmony all round.

The same can be achieved with multiple holiday cottages on one site, complexes of lodges or glamping units. If you pick somewhere with the ability to add on extra units as the group size changes, it can reduce the pressure of getting all guests to commit before making one costly booking.

3. Work out the budget

Whatever budget you’re pitching at, you deserve great value, but that doesn’t always mean picking the cheapest place. Check that you have enough bathrooms, proper bedrooms for all, and remember the details. Little extras like paying for parking make a difference. And eating out makes quite a difference to the cost, so if you have great self-catering options, BBQs, and especially nice outdoor spaces to dine, you’ll not need to go far.

Pleasing everyone in a group when everyone has different budget constraints and different priorities will be one of the touchiest factors to driving a group decision. There are ways to manage it sensitively, however. Some groups might need accommodation where all rooms are equivalent and everyone pays the same, whereas others might prefer a mix of premium and more budget rooms to suit different members of the group. Some control of the extras like food and drink costs can also be tricky if part of the group is happy to go all-out, which others are being careful. A kitty can be useful, but if there are big differences in means, it can be more harmonious to take charge of an evening meal each, rather than split the cost of everyone’s choices or split up the purchasing tasks so that some can splurge while others shop around.

4. Meal planning

If you’ve picked a self-catering option, it’s well worth planning your shopping strategy ahead of time. Booking in a supermarket or farm shop delivery on your arrival day can make packing and arrival a lot less stressful. Here at Moreton House, we are happy to help with local hampers and receive your grocery delivery on the day, so you don’t have to worry if you’re running a bit late. You can split the purchasing tasks up so that you don’t guess or duplicate. Careful management of meal planning and purchasing is a great way to ease any budget worries too.

If you want to eat out as a group, it’s well worth booking ahead, even outside peak season, as many restaurants don’t have a lot of staff if they expect to be quiet. Your accommodation provider should be able to recommend local favourites suitable for group dining. Consider also using local food delivery options. Not only does that allow you to make the holiday more of an experience, but it can be a great half-way house between cooking yourself and going out. Caterers often offer hand prepared ‘ready meals’ or gastro trays of bulk portions ready to reheat, or treat yourself to a private dining experience where the chef comes to you. It might be more costly per head for the food, but you will save money on the price of your drinks and taxis, and if you have children to put to bed, you will still be able to take your time over the meal.

5. Plan your time

These are not holidays for packed itineraries, but for enjoying like-minded company where no one person is having to play host. Enjoy catching up over a leisurely meal, unwinding and enjoying each other’s company over drinks on the terrace, let the kids run around the garden together making their own fun while you’re watching over from a deck chair. This is the stuff memories are built of.

The larger the group, however, the less likely you’ll do anything spontaneous. If you want to make the most of the place you’re staying, it is worth planning in a few activities or outings ahead of time or at least finding out some of the options so that different family units can work out their own timetables while meeting up in the evenings. Picking a place that lends itself to the interests of the different group members is wise - are there things to keep the sporty and active interested while also nice places for a walk, or fun places to entertain children, maybe a bit of culture or history, or local towns to explore.

Your venue might be able to help again - perhaps you fancy a group surf lesson, a guided walk, a boat trip, or a heads up about local markets and festivals. You also have bargaining power as a group - often you’ll be able to book a private session or tour just for your group. And for many things, you’ll be able to get the provider to come to your venue. Spa services, cocktail workshops, cookery classes, outdoor painting or group walks - the providers will often be more than happy to provide a special session based or starting from your accommodation.

Often simple is best - if your venue offers a garden with space to play games, croquet or tennis, a pool, or a deck with a firepit, you might need nothing more for the week!

6. What to bring

Check what’s provided, as it can really help with your packing. We provide linens, towels, even a beach towel each, and we have beach kit to borrow (we try to discourage guests from buying a cheap throw-away plastic bucket and spade or polystyrene body board for that one trip to the beach), and bikes and games, plus we have well stocked kitchens and BBQs. But if you need to bring tea towels, bin bags or your own linens, it’s best to know.

Suits you

Make sure to choose accommodation that meets the needs of the whole group

TOP TIPS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF GROUPS

3G

Increasingly common are the 3-generational (3G) family groups. Space for group dining is high on the checklist here, as are safe spaces for children to play while the parents are enjoying a sundowner. But remember that a bit of separation may be welcome. Different generations may have very different daily routines. For the sake of family harmony, look for accommodation in complexes with neighbouring cottages, apartments or lodges set around group amenities. Often families are travelling from far and wide so pick a location that isn’t too remote.

Family friends

Travelling with other families will lead to many of the same needs as a 3G group, with communal dining and mingling space. But generally here, the focus is on all of the adults wanting to spend time together while their children are safely entertained or contained. Being able to socialise after children’s bedtime will be important, plus a few simple excursions that everyone can enjoy.

Corporate groups

Offsites and teambuilding group stays have never been more important with so many of us working from home at least part time. Look for venues that provide a professional polish with workshop space offering projector, flipcharts, white boards, conference tables and decent WiFi. Easy parking, easy access, and group catering may be high on the list here too. Is privacy important? Hotels may be the obvious choice, but consider private venues such as Moreton House where you can enjoy exclusive use and communal spaces for teambuilding and networking during the down time.

Hens and stags

Group stays out of peak season can be a great way to enjoy a hen or stag – self catering can keep costs down, and many accommodation providers can help with visiting spa services, cocktail or floristry workshops, outdoor pursuits, tee times and meal deliveries.

Retreats or themed breaks

Escaping for a weekend of yoga, painting, walking or wellness is a popular way to take a break and join a group that you may not know already. Communal activity spaces will be important, group dining but also catering options. Accommodation that is suitable for single occupancy will also be important here, rather than lots of family rooms.

At Moreton House we offer accommodation for all kinds and sizes of groups with flexible rooms, lots of group amenity spaces and concierge assistance to help with planning. See our options and availability.