You’re probably aware by now that millennials are becoming the most influential generation when it comes to traveling habits and that they’re a perfect target group for most hoteliers. Not only do they love to travel, but they also love to spend money – especially so if their expectations are met.
An average millennial that’s 20-30 years old will have expectations that are completely different than those that older generations used to have. Besides most of them being technically savvy, they are also more prone to partying and luxurious treatment than their predecessors. Let’s cover some of the basic expectations millennials have in order to help you understand them better.
Millennials don’t need travel agencies
Travel agencies as we know them are a foreign concept to millennials. The main reason for this is because they are used to using Internet since they were little, so searching and booking a holiday accommodation is a breeze for them. This basically means that if you want to market yourself to millennials, you’ll have better chances doing it on your own online than doing it with a travel agency. While there are certainly some people that still use travel agencies, the number is lower every year as even parents of the millennials go to them to book them an accommodation online.
Millennials are technologically savvy
Gone are the times when a hotel could get by without having a strong Wi-Fi connection. In fact, that’s not even a scratch on the technological requirements millennials have come to expect. The concept of smart rooms is on the rise because millennials can use their own smartphones or tablets as keys to the room, as well as to control all of the facilities through them. Having an AI assistant is becoming more common as well in hotel rooms, as people are getting used to them in their own homes. Simply put, your hotel needs to be updated to current technological trends at all times if you want to easily attract millennials.
Millennials tend to go out more
While almost everyone prefers luxury, most researches show that millennials are actually more interested in exploring the local culture than staying by the pool. This is why the hotel’s location is extremely important. Being located in Kreuzberg in Berlin is completely different than somewhere more remote, as people will be interested to stay at your hotel because of how popular the area is. That’s not all, as they’ll also expect you to provide them with valuable information about what to do and where to go out. Basically, you’ll want to focus more on providing information to millennials than providing luxury.
Personalisation
We’ve already covered the concept of smart rooms and why they’re important to millennials. But besides making their check-in experience frictionless, you can also go for room personalization on your website to attract millennials. This means that your potential guest will be able to customize their own room to their needs easily from a website, and when they arrive at the hotel everything will be as they’ve wanted. Whether it’s a bottle of champagne on ice or a penthouse with disco-lights, it’s up to you to decide what you’re going to offer. Personalization is going to play a huge role in the future, as more and more hotels are already starting to adapt it as a concept.
Millennials love gardens
This might come as a surprise to you, but millennials are a generation that’s by far most interested in gardening. This is due to a fact that the vast majority of them are so reliant on technology that they’re starting to look for answers in nature. This is why hotels should invest some money and effort into creating a beautiful garden, a place where their guests can spend time in peace and quiet. Of course, maintaining a cool garden will require you to have gardening staff and a number of gardening tools, like lawn mowers, hoses, pole pruners, etc. Be sure to advertise your garden on your website as well, as it may make a difference when your potential guests are choosing whether to stay with you or not.
Use social media to your advantage
When advertising your hotel to millennials, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing a lot of it on your social media channels. The main reason for this is because over 80% of millennials use at least one social media network, while the vast majority is using at least two or three. Facebook and Twitter can easily let your potential guests, as well as your old guests, communicate with you and post reviews and their testimonials. Instagram is becoming even more important, as we are becoming more and more reliant on images as the main way of communication. By creating an online community on social platforms, you’ll make sure you stay in touch with your guests and provide them with valuable content.
Focus on lifestyle
If there’s one thing that’s specific for millennials, it’s that they are more focused on memorable experiences than on products themselves. This means that you’ll do a better job attracting millennials if you offer them something unique, a way of being part of something special. Don’t just try to sell them your hotel room, focus on everything that’s unique about your hotel, whether it’s that you’re eco-friendly or that you have the best food in the city. Promote a lifestyle that any millennial would want to be a part of and you’ll see a surge in guests coming your way.
Bottom line
Millennials are travelers and they are spenders, mostly because they can afford it. The hard part is offering them those services that they’re willing to pay for. The better job you do at adapting to their lifestyles the more successful your hotel will be in the millennial era. It’s not all about technology either, as many millennials go on vacation to run away from it. This is why you’ll want to balance and focus on what’s important for millennials as a demographic if you want to succeed. We hope that this article will help you understand them better, which should make this job much easier for you.
