Hosting Family Reunions and Group Getaways at Your Resort
How multi-cabin resorts can book, plan, and host family reunions and group stays, and use them to fill the shoulder season.
◀ Go BackA single phone call can fill a good part of your resort. It might start with something like, “We’re planning a family reunion next summer, and we need room for about thirty-five people.” For a multi-cabin family resort, that call can be worth several individual bookings, and it may land on a week that would otherwise be hard to fill.
Family reunions and group getaways are a natural fit for resorts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. You have much of what these groups look for: separate cabins so each family has its own space, shared spaces where everyone can gather, a lake to keep the kids busy, and enough room that nobody is sleeping on an air mattress in the hallway. This guide covers how to attract group stays, work with organizers, handle bookings and payments, and turn a single reunion into repeat business.
Why Groups Fit Multi-Cabin Resorts So Well
Hotels can be awkward for family reunions. Everyone is in a separate room down a long hallway, there may be no good place to gather, and a weeklong stay adds up. Single vacation homes have the opposite problem: many sleep only a dozen or so people, and cramming four families into one house tests everyone’s patience.
A multi-cabin resort sits right in the middle. Each family gets its own cabin, its own kitchen, and its own door to close at night. But they are all a short walk apart, sharing the beach, the dock, the fire pit, and the lodge. That combination is not easy to find, and it is often what reunion planners have in mind.
Groups can be good business for you too:
- One conversation can fill many cabins. You coordinate with one organizer instead of a dozen separate families.
- Some groups book early. Some reunions and retreats are planned a year or more ahead, which can make revenue easier to forecast.
- Some groups can fill harder weeks. Groups that are flexible on dates can be a good fit for late May, early June, and September.
- Each family could become a future guest. A reunion introduces your resort to families who may want to come back on their own.
Who Books Group Stays
Family reunions may be the first kind of group that comes to mind, but they are far from the only one:
- Multi-generational family trips where grandparents bring their kids and grandkids every summer
- Family reunions that rotate locations or settle on one favorite spot
- Friend groups who have vacationed together since college
- Fishing groups of buddies, clubs, or father-son trips, especially around opener and in the fall
- Church and youth retreats looking for an affordable, quiet setting
- Small company retreats that want something more relaxed than a conference hotel
- Wedding guests who need a place to stay near a lake wedding venue
Each group has different priorities, but they share one need: a place where everyone can be together without being on top of each other.
Work With One Organizer
Group stays tend to run best with one person who keeps things together. Often it is the family member who volunteered to plan the reunion, or the friend who always books the trip. Make that person’s job easy, and they may become your best advocate.
Early on, gather what you need from the organizer:
- The dates they are considering, and how flexible they are
- Roughly how many people, and how many separate households
- Any guests with mobility needs, very young kids, or pets
- Whether they want the whole resort or a block of cabins
- What shared spaces or activities they are hoping for
- How they plan to handle payment, together or by household
Then give them a clear, written summary: which cabins you are holding, the rates, the deposit schedule, and a date by which they need to confirm or release cabins. That last date matters. Without it, you can end up holding cabins for a group that never fills them while turning away other families.
How the Group Books and Pays
There are a few common ways to handle group bookings, and the right choice depends on the group.
The organizer books and pays for everything. One reservation per cabin, all under the organizer’s name, with deposits and balances paid by one person. This is the simplest for you and works well when one family is hosting or splitting costs privately.
Each household books its own cabin. You hold a block of cabins for the group, and each family books and pays for their own cabin by a set date. This takes the financial pressure off the organizer and makes each family responsible for their own deposit and balance.
A hybrid. The organizer reserves the block and pays a group deposit to hold it, and each household then confirms and pays for its own cabin.
Whichever approach you choose, keep a few things consistent:
- Put the release date for unclaimed cabins in writing
- Apply your normal deposit and balance policies so expectations are clear
- Keep a single list of which family is in which cabin
- Make sure every household gets the same arrival information and resort rules
Assigning Cabins Thoughtfully
Cabin assignments can shape how a reunion feels, and a little thought up front can prevent grumbling later. Rather than assuming what each household needs, ask the organizer, or each household directly, a few questions:
- Does anyone have mobility needs? If so, which cabins have the fewest steps and the shortest walk to parking and the lodge, and is there anything else that would help?
- Are there young children? Some parents want to be close to the beach and playground. Others would rather be farther from the water. Ask which they prefer.
- Who wants quiet, and who wants to be in the middle of things? Teens, early risers, and night owls often have different ideas.
- Is anyone bringing a pet? Point them to your pet-friendly cabins.
Often the simplest approach is to share each cabin’s layout, sleeping capacity, steps and access details, and features with the organizer and let the group decide. They know their family. You know your cabins.
Shared Spaces and Group Activities
The shared moments are what make a reunion memorable, and they are where your resort can really shine.
- A gathering place. A lodge, screened porch, pavilion, or big fire pit where everyone can be together after dinner.
- A group meal. A fish fry, potluck, or cookout on the first or last night. Some resorts offer a catered meal; others simply provide the space and the grills.
- A fishing contest. Biggest fish, most fish, youngest angler. Simple prizes, big memories.
- Lake days. Pontoon rides for the grandparents, kayaks for the teens, and a swim raft for the kids. Our guide to boat rentals and add-ons covers how to make rentals easy to book.
- The family photo. Point the organizer to the best spot on the property, the dock at sunset or the beach with the lake behind them.
- Kid-friendly extras. Lawn games, a sandbox, a craft night, or a scavenger hunt. More ideas are in our article on making your rental kid-friendly.
You do not have to plan the reunion for them. But a short list of what is available on the property, and what other groups have enjoyed, helps the organizer build a great week.
Using Groups to Fill the Shoulder Season
At many northern resorts, peak summer weeks are the easiest to fill, often with returning families. The shoulder weeks can be another story. Late May, early June before school lets out, and September after Labor Day are where some resorts see empty cabins.
Groups are one way to help fill those gaps:
- Adult groups like friend trips, fishing groups, and retreats are not tied to the school calendar.
- Multi-generational families with retired grandparents are often flexible.
- Whole-resort bookings in the shoulder season fill every cabin at once, with a single turnover.
Consider promoting group stays specifically for those weeks, with clear information on your website about how many people you can host and what shared spaces you offer. Our article on peak vs. off-season booking trends has more on which weeks tend to need the help.
Set Expectations Once, for Everyone
With thirty or more people on the property, a few ground rules keep everyone, including your other guests, happy. Put them in writing and send them to the organizer to share with every household:
- Check-in and check-out times, and where to park
- Quiet hours, especially if other guests are on the property
- Occupancy limits per cabin
- Pet rules and which cabins allow them
- Boat, dock, and swimming rules
- Fire pit and grill rules
- How to reach you during the stay
Sending these once, early, saves you from repeating them thirty times on arrival day.
Turn One Reunion Into Many Repeat Guests
A reunion introduces your resort to a lot of families at once. Some of them will want to come back on their own, and some will want to bring the whole reunion back in two years. Make both easy.
- Invite each household to stay in touch, not just the organizer. Ask whether they would like to hear from you about future stays, and only add those who say yes to your mailing list. Keep their information secure and use it only for what they agreed to.
- Thank the organizer personally after the stay. They did a lot of work.
- Offer to hold the same week for the next reunion, whether that is next year or a few years out.
- Follow up after the season with the families who opted in, so the ones who loved your lake know they are welcome back.
Our guide to winning back repeat guests covers how to stay in touch without overdoing it.
Make Group Stays Easy to Manage
Group bookings involve more moving parts than a single family’s week, and staying organized makes them easier to take on.
In CabinKey, the calendar shows every cabin side by side, so you can see whether you can hold a block for a group. Each reservation tracks its own deposits and balance, and guest profiles let you note which families belong to which group. When each household has its own reservation, the automatic welcome email reaches each one before arrival with check-in times and directions. See how CabinKey works.