PHOTO: The spacious Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch offers both on- and off-property activities for families.

Multigenerational travel is a budding trend that supports the blueprint of creating an “all-in-one” experience for guests and clients.

But while planning with staff at an all-inclusive resort makes it easier for travel agents and their clients to wrap everything up in one nice little package, agents should also broaden their scope to include resorts that are not just all-inclusive.

Ultimately, it comes down to providing a variety of services that fit the particular family’s needs and desires, whether you are presenting it in one itinerary or presenting a list of added accommodations, amenities and activities.

Listen carefully to the client and, then, use your knowledge of the companies that you work with to create the ideal multigenerational experience.

Agent@Home spoke with sales executives from Hyatt and Palace Resorts — two well-known, family-friendly companies — to narrow down the top 10 ways to find the right resort for the right family.

Know the Budget

When assessing how to sell multigenerational travel, you first need to keep the family’s budget in mind.

Not only will you end up with a more suitable option for each specific family group, but you will also show that you are listening to family members.

“The first thing one should ask about when selling a family vacation is how much they can spend,” says Kathy Halpern, vice president of sales and marketing, Palace Resorts.

One of the advantages of choosing an all-inclusive resort, Halpern adds, “is that [families] do not have to worry about budgeting for food, drinks and entertainment because it is already included in the set price.”

Opting for a resort that is not all-inclusive may take a bit more work on the part of the travel agent, but it still comes back to one thing: knowing what families can realistically spend.

Consider Activities for All

Clients traveling with family naturally seek out recreational activities that encompass all age groups.

“As an example, we have an adult pool and a family pool area that includes a sand beach and three-story waterslide,” says Terri Benich, director of sales and marketing, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. “The adult pool area is quieter and allows the older members of the family to relax peacefully, but they are just a few steps from the entrance to the family pool where the younger members of the group are enjoying the water activities, including water volleyball and basketball.”

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale also highlights its golf course (complete with shorter tee placements for the youngsters) and its Celtic mineral pool at Spa Avania.

PHOTO: Among Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort’s family-friendly amenities is a FlowRider surf simulator and several pools.

Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, Palace Resorts’ all-inclusive resort in Cancun, has a FlowRider double-wave simulator for guests to practice their surfing, a Jack Nicklaus Academy for golf enthusiasts, two spas for those seeking relaxation time, a nightclub for party animals, the Wired lounge for teens, and The Playroom for little pirates and princesses. It also just announced a health-conscious program featuring wellness suites (complete with minibars stocked with fresh juices and herbal teas) and yoga and fitness equipment.

Offer Access to Different Food and Beverage Options

With different family members come different taste buds. Palace Resorts and Hyatt make sure to take this into account.

“Every family member has his or her own tastes and needs,” Halpern says. “One must take into consideration a resort that can cater to every palate in the family.”

Palace Resorts offers elegant à la carte dinners and private chef tables for high-end foodies. For barbecue lovers, the company offers poolside palapas (Mayan-inspired, open-sided dwellings with thatched roofs), where casual meals from the grill can be enjoyed. For the fitness freaks, gluten-free and vegetarian menus are served. For those who prefer Japanese food, Moon Palace features a teppanyaki restaurant. And for those seeking authenticity, Palace Resorts features traditional Mexican and Mayan venues.

SWB Restaurant at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale caters to the casual diner, while Alto Ristorante is a bit more formal. Noh restaurant provides sushi and sashimi at the resort’s Center Stage Bar. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale also offers poolside dining at H2Oasis, a variety of options at its Canyon Market and healthy fare at Squeeze juice bar.

Find a Family-Friendly Environment

Of course, families need to feel safe and comfortable, too. That means top-notch service, as well as the ability of resort staff to be flexible and open-minded with guests.

“Everything that we do begins and ends with the family guest experience in mind,” says Jeff Donahoe, director of sales and marketing at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa. “By providing a comfortable, family-friendly environment in a sophisticated setting and eliminating the pretentiousness that often accompanies higher-end resorts, we are able to appeal to different generations of travelers. Should a guest choose to walk through our lobby in a wet bathing suit, rather than enforce a ‘rule’ we ask how their trip down our Lazy River was [a 950-foot-long river included in the San Antonio resort’s five-acre water park]. Want to end your spa appointment with a cookie rather than a wheatgrass smoothie? Our colleagues will make sure the chocolate chips are warm.”

Childcare services also add to the family-friendly nature of a resort – giving mom and dad some time to themselves, therefore look for services such as babysitting, which is offered at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale.

Beyond Moon Palace, Palace Resorts’ family-friendly destinations include Caribbean hotspots Beach Palace (for a laidback Cancun vacation), Cozumel Palace (ideal for diving and snorkeling enthusiasts) and Playacar Palace (located within the charming Mexican town of Playa del Carmen).

Explore Entertainment

Families not only want to relax, they also want to have a rockin’ good time.

In this regard, resorts such as Hyatt Regency Scottsdale makes sure to offer plenty of entertainment options, and agents would be selling clients short if they didn’t make them available.

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale includes evening entertainment in an indoor/outdoor environment at its Center Stage Bar and holds special events on Fridays, including “Arizona Birds of Prey” and educational segments with the Arizona Herpetological Society about the destination’s flora and fauna. Camp Hyatt programs also keep the kids busy.

Palace Resorts has hosted world-class artists such as Usher and Ricky Martin at its properties throughout the years.

Uniqueness and the Right Fit

With all the burgeoning niches these days, it’s becoming a common practice for agents to find unique offerings out there.

But it’s also important that you find the right unique offerings that specifically cater to multigenerational family groups when selling multigenerational travel.

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale tries to incorporate it all, including varied room types with connecting room options, suites with large parlors for gathering, a dedicated and experienced concierge team and a private club area called the Regency Club, which features breakfast and hors d’oeuvres, as well as a television, computers and board games for family fun.

As Halpern of Palace Resorts puts it, “It is essential to highlight everything that makes a resort unique and why it is a fit for that particular family.”

Keep Families Together

You’re not exactly selling a true multigenerational gathering if everyone scrambles in opposite directions once they get to the property. That’s why more and more resorts are offering options that physically keep families together.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country, for example, came up with a pretty creative way to “keep family members together, rather than create separation.”

“A great example is our ‘Family Express’ golf,” Donahoe says. “Rather than Dad and Grandpa spending three to four hours away from the rest of the family to enjoy a round of golf, we’ve strategically placed ‘Family Express’ markers about 50 yards from each of our 27 holes to create a kid-friendly golf option, with a full round completed in about one-and-a-half hours.”

Investigate Options for Off-property Activities

Finding a property that has a wealth of on- and off-property activities is an important aspect in planning a multigenerational vacation. And what you need to accommodate that is space. A recent study by Luxury-Hotels.com revealed that, of the most expensive luxury hotels in the U.S., nine of the top 10 hotels were located in Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Vermont, California and Arizona. What do these locations have in common? They are all spacious.

Even the No. 2 hotel, The Point in New York, was located more than 300 miles away from New York City in Upstate New York, surrounded by serene lakes, ponds and bays.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Benich would highlight the wealth of off-property activities in the Scottsdale area, including hot-air ballooning, horseback riding, desert biking and motoring.

Know the Products

If you have an extensive knowledge of all the options that these properties have to offer, you will be better equipped to cater to the needs of multigenerational travelers.

“The most important part of selling the right resort to the right family is to know the products inside and out,” Halpern says. “For Palace Resorts, it is important that the travel agents who sell our properties are experts on our products so that the guest experience surpasses expectations and therefore generates return business. Although the core of what we offer is the same at all our properties (including exceptional dining, premium spirits, attentive service and entertainment), each one of our seven resorts has a distinct personality that caters to different types of travelers.”

Find Out about Resort Deals & Credits

While agents will be more inclined to do business with resorts that offer them benefits, inquiring about guest benefits is important, too. After all, if your guests receive something extra, you are more likely to stand out.

“One of the most attractive offerings and successful selling points are Palace’s resort credits,” Halpern says. The $1,500 resort credit can be used on spa and beauty salon treatments, golf outings, romantic dinners, wedding packages and more.

Halpern added, “This is usually the key deciding factor for families wanting to make the most of their vacation without having to worry about additional costs and planning.”