Along with pet-friendly accommodations, there's another lodging type that keeps drawing steady demand: kids pensions. These family-focused rentals surged during COVID as parents looked for private, safe spaces to spend quality time with their children.
Hi, it's ONDA — the digital hospitality infrastructure company.
Along with pet-friendly accommodations, there's another lodging type that keeps drawing steady demand: kids pensions.
Kids pensions exploded during COVID because families wanted private, safe spaces to enjoy time with their children.
Even though travel restrictions have lifted and overseas trips are back on the table, kids pension demand isn't going anywhere. Domestic travel still wins out when you're traveling with young kids.
Today we're diving into where you should open a kids pension using 2022 booking data from ONDA's platform.
Monthly Booking Trends for Kids Pensions in 2022
Kids pension booking trends tracked pretty closely with overall lodging data.
March saw the lowest bookings. Both categories peaked in April and July — but kids pensions hit their high in April (10% share), while overall lodging peaked in July (10.71%).
The interesting part? Kids pensions bucked the end-of-year slump. While overall bookings dropped in November and December, kids pension bookings actually climbed. Cold weather likely drove families indoors — straight into kids pensions.
Sales Channel Ranking
Channel distribution also tells a story.
Both datasets show Tmon leading in bookings, but kids pensions leaned harder into e-commerce marketplaces. Overall lodging, meanwhile, skewed toward dedicated travel platforms and Naver.
Kids pensions also ranked Noriui Balgyeon (놀이의 발견) — a kids-specialized booking platform — at #8. Makes sense: niche audience, niche channel.
If you're running a kids pension, list your property where millennial and Gen X parents actually shop — think lifestyle platforms and kids-focused channels.
Booking Share by Region (Metropolitan Areas)
So where should you open a kids pension?
In 2022, Gangwon-do topped overall lodging bookings, with Jeju in second. But for kids pensions? Gyeonggi-do dominated with 44.87% share — by far the #1 region.
Traveling with kids comes with constraints: shorter distances, easier logistics. Families prefer locations close to Seoul. That's why Gyeonggi-do, right around the capital, sees the highest concentration of kids pension bookings.
If you're starting a kids pension, Gyeonggi-do is the safest bet. Want to avoid an oversaturated market? Look at #2 and #3: the Gyeongsang provinces.
Want Higher Bookings? Geography Isn't Everything
Maybe you're not in Gyeonggi-do. Maybe you're in a "hot" region but still not seeing bookings.
To increase occupancy, you need to be where your customers are shopping — and that means listing on multiple platforms, not just the usual suspects.
Properties on ONDA Pension Plus saw a 14% revenue increase and 16% booking increase when they expanded from under 15 channels to 31+ channels. Smaller lodgings? 38% revenue lift, 50% booking lift.
Pension Plus connects you to up to 40 domestic and international booking channels — and right now, you can start for free and unlock ₩1.5M in marketing credits.
▶️ Must-read operational tips for kids pension operators