Features

The more we dig into generational travel, the more we realize another, equally important trend – multigenerational travel. In fact, the rise in multigenerational travel is, arguably, positioned to change the hotel and travel industry.

For decades now, some hoteliers and many hotel tech providers have been pushing hotel guests to embrace self check-in procedures. I first heard of this concept as a budding young entrepreneur floating my business plan for a hotel industry training company to the top minds in lodging. The year was 1989 and my proposed company name was Check-Inn Training. I remember one industry icon in particular who, upon seeing the name on my binder, said 'Bad idea young man.' He proceeded to hand me a copy of an article from what was then called Hotel & Motel Management, in which a headline read 'Front Desk Staffs To Be Replaced By Kiosk Check-in Machine.'

Anyone who has watched Dirty Dancing remembers the iconic line, 'Nobody puts Baby in the corner.' Well, hoteliers, what about baby boomers? Over the last few years, millennials have captured a great deal of attention across industries, with hospitality being no exception. Their unique travel behaviors and impressive buying power have generated sizeable interest from hoteliers around the globe, who are eager to tap into their psyche and earn the loyalty of this generational group.

Hotels have long realized that guest reviews are valuable information that needs to be taken seriously and is indeed quite helpful feedback for improving their offerings. However, this is only the second-best guest feedback there is, after, of course, collecting it face-to-face during the hotel stay.

Over the past few years, millennials (individuals born between 1982 and 2000) have received special attention, as leaders across industries speak to their growing presence, impressive buying power, and unique buying behaviors. However, while millennials may be the future, the decision to turn our sights away from the baby boom generation would be irrevocably ill-advised.

Loyalty is earned, and certainly not given, and there is a definite difference between loyalty programs and a guest’s loyalty to a brand. Hotel loyalty programs might seem ubiquitous today, but nearly 60% of guests still don’t belong to one.

Jeff Bezos’ famous quote on the success of Amazon is 'The secret to that is to focus on the things that don’t change in your business.' The example he specifically used was, 'So people today want fast shipping. And they’re going to want faster and faster shipping in 10 years… so that’s going to matter today and tomorrow.'

Its the people in your hotel that make the difference to your guests’ experience. The industry training expert, Doug Kennedy, shares thoughts and tips on achieving excellence in your hospitality journey.

A night of playing board games has become a visit to the escape room, going to the park with the kids has become a trip to the climbing gym, and beers out with friends has turned into themed tours of local pubs, notes Forbes. Though millennials’ insatiable desire to do things rather than collect things has led the surge in the experience economy, the desire for experiences certainly isn’t limited to just one generation.

Are there any truly differentiating luxury hotel brands? Let’s face it, the vast majority of 'luxury' hotels still fall into the category of 'traditional' luxury. There are numerous hospitality brands these days competing in the luxury realm and there is no real definition for, and distinction between, what is luxury vs. for example, upscale.