Marketing a group holiday home: attracting families and seminars

Marketing a group holiday home is nothing like marketing a small rental. A house able to host fifteen, thirty or fifty people speaks to very particular clienteles, who book long in advance and look above all for space, plenty of bedrooms and shared living areas. Here is how to attract them, show them what they are looking for, and fill your calendar all year round.

Who books group houses

A group holiday home attracts several families of guests, each with their own expectations:

• Large families for a reunion, a birthday or a multi-generation holiday.
• Groups of friends for a weekend, a hen or stag party, a celebration.
• Companies for a seminar, a team retreat or a leadership meeting.
• Associations and clubs for a course, an outing or a team-building weekend.
• Weddings and events when the place lends itself to it.

Each clientele has its own calendar: families in summer and over the holidays, companies rather on weekdays and outside school holidays. That is an opportunity to fill the house all year.

What they look for

Whatever the group, a few criteria always come up:

1. The number of beds and how the bedrooms are spread.
2. Shared spaces: a large dining room, a lounge, an equipped kitchen.
3. On-site activities: pool, games, sports ground, garden.
4. Access: station, motorway, parking.
5. The setting: nature, a village, peace and quiet.

Domaine La Rosière, in the Northern Vosges, is a good example: a mansion that hosts up to 50 people, with 15 bedrooms over three floors, an indoor pool heated all year round and a tennis court. All arguments that need to be shown clearly.

Showing the spaces

For a group house, conventional photos have a limit: they do not show scale. How can you tell that a room can seat thirty people, or that the bedrooms are spread over three floors?

Video answers that question. A film that moves through the spaces, shows how the rooms connect and rises above the house by drone immediately gives a sense of the place. The viewer understands where you eat, where you sleep, where you gather.

• Film the living areas with people or a laid table, to show capacity.
• Show the bedrooms at a good pace, without turning it into an inventory.
• Highlight the activities: pool, tennis, games.
• Place the house in its landscape with the drone.

The channels

A group house becomes known through several complementary channels:

• Social media, where groups of friends and families look for inspiration.
• Platforms specialising in large properties and seminars.
• Professional networks: works councils, event agencies, associations.
• Your own website, for direct bookings. Read our article on direct bookings.
• Directories of unique places, which put you in direct contact with travellers.

An example in the Northern Vosges

Domaine La Rosière, in Diemeringen, shows the potential of a group holiday home. Its heated indoor pool lets it target seminars and family weekends even in midwinter, and its tennis court and games areas appeal to groups of friends in spring and summer.

Its film shows these assets in motion, and makes them visible well beyond Alsace. Watch the Domaine La Rosière film. To smooth your activity over the year, read also our article on filling your rental in the low season.

The ideal page for a group holiday home

Group organisers need precise information to convince their family or their company. Your page should answer their questions without them having to write in:

1. The number of beds and their distribution by bedroom and by floor.
2. Bathrooms: how many, private or shared.
3. Shared spaces: capacity of the dining room, the lounge, the meeting room.
4. The kitchen: professional or family equipment, crockery for the whole group.
5. Activities: pool, tennis, games, garden, walks.
6. Access: station, motorway, parking for several cars or a coach.
7. House rules: noise, hours, pets, events.

A film then brings this information to life, showing the real scale of the place.

Making group booking easy

Booking for twenty or fifty people is a project. Make the organiser's job easier:

• A quick quote, ideally within forty-eight hours.
• Clear rates per night and per tier, with the options: cleaning, linen, breakfast.
• A simple deposit and cancellation terms suited to groups.
• A single contact, reachable before and during the stay.

The more supported the organiser feels, the more they come back, and the more they recommend your place.

Bringing groups back

A happy group is the best ambassador. Families come back for big occasions, companies for their annual seminars, associations for their courses. Keep in touch with organisers, with their permission, and offer them next year's dates first. A simple message a few months before the anniversary of their stay is often enough. Read also our article on getting more bookings.

The seasons of a group house

A group holiday home lives to the rhythm of the seasons and occasions:

1. Spring: weekends with friends, seminars, hiking.
2. Summer: extended-family holidays, big reunions.
3. Autumn: nature breaks, family gatherings, birthday parties.
4. Winter: end-of-year celebrations, cosy stays by the fire.

Each season deserves its own content, to show the house in all its facets and attract groups throughout the year. Read our article on filling the low season.

Frequently asked questions

When do groups book?

Often well in advance, especially for family reunions and seminars. Start communicating several months before the key periods.

Should you offer different rates depending on group size?

It is common and appreciated. A rate per tier or per number of guests also lets you host smaller groups in the low season.

How do you attract companies?

Highlight the meeting rooms, the internet connection, the access and the team-building activities. A film that shows these spaces reassures organisers.

Is video useful for a house that is already well booked?

Yes, to fill the quiet periods, increase the share of direct bookings and strengthen the image of the place.

Should you accept parties and events?

It is a choice. Events can be profitable, but they need clear rules on noise, hours and the deposit. State them at the time of booking.

How do you handle cleaning for a large group?

Most group houses offer end-of-stay cleaning as an option or included. Make it clear in your rates.

And your group house?

Discover how we support owners on our Rent your property page, and read our article on getting more bookings. Let's talk about it in 20 minutes.