Millennial travellers have unquestionably disrupted the way hotels think about attracting potential guests.
These younger generations are digitally active, pay great attention to peer reviews and are constantly seeking instant gratifications. When compared to previous generations of guests, Millennials are a new breed of clients. While they might not presently have the combined buying power of older generations of travellers, their spending power is rapidly growing.
But what do I mean by Millennials? Who are they? Millennials are young people who were born between 1981 and 2000 — at the start of the new millennium.
Demographically, they are becoming an important consumer parcel, in fact, they already account for 24% of the EU and 27% of the US adult population! And, by 2020, they will comprise half of the global workforce. That’s why we are hearing and reading a lot about this new generation, they are different and brands are not sure how to react to them.
Given the growing importance of Millennial travellers to the hospitality industry, it is vital that hoteliers better understand some key motivations of this age group and how they can adapt their hotel to suit their needs.
On this week’s post, I am going to suggest a few tips on how you can attract this younger generation to your hotel.
Millennials eager a unique experience
A study shows that 78% of Millennials want to learn something whilst travelling. So, it’s clear that Millennials do not go to a place just to check it off of a list! Their bucket list include experiences they want to have, activities they want to try, people and cultures they want to meet and get to know. Consequently, the destination is no longer enough. When you are marketing your hotel to the millennial traveller, you ought to think about what are the unique experiences you can offer to them.
Anything that your prospective clients can do, see, or try near to your hotel is worth mentioning on social media and your website. In addition, hoteliers can also ask their employees to share their favourite local places in the city/area where the hotel is located. If your hotel does not provide an out-of-the-box vacation, it won’t succeed in attracting this age group. But if this point is mastered, loyalty will be built for future travel plans!
They want more than what they paid for!
This group of modern travellers want and expect to have all amenities for a reasonable price. Though their spending power is growing, they are still a price-sensitive group. Hence, Millennials are always looking to get the biggest bang for their buck. Then, you ask: How can I do that? Well, you can start by providing old-fashioned perks such as free breakfast.
You can also have a “grab-n-go” place in your lobby so that travellers can buy something to eat on their way. Furthermore, you can also place a guide in the room. Unquestionably, hotels who offer recommendations and tips which turn a vacation into an experience, are the hotels who will have the most appeal for Millennial travellers.
Technology is not free Wi-Fi!
It’s widely known that technology is playing an increasingly central role in travel, especially with Millennials. But, when I mention technology, I don’t mean free Wi-Fi because that is kind of expected. If your hotel does not have a seamless Wi-Fi service, it won’t be much appealing to these modern clients. Instead, when I say technology, I am talking about new developments and trends, such as chatbots.
Bots are aimed at impatient Millennials who are always on the hunt for instant gratification. Whether booking a room or looking for ideas on where to go on the next vacation, bots are a way for independent hotels and hotel chains to become more accessible and relevant to this younger target audience.
A great example of how you can use chatbots to attract Millennials to your hotel is HiJiffy — a conversational booking assistant for the hospitality and travel industry. We help Hotels increase their direct bookings and improve customer satisfaction with an AI-powered automated assistant on Messenger
Why can we help attract Millennials to your Hotel?
For starters, HiJiffy replies to your travellers frequently asked queries. This is truly important for the reason that Millennials want to ask questions and do research about the place they want to go. Therefore, by answering their queries, the chances they book with you will increase. After the questions are dealt with, we incentivize them to book with you.
On Messenger, users can check rates, availability and book. Additionally, payment within the messaging app is really convenient. If it is not the best time to book or if the user is still indecisive, we re-engage with them in the next day. Our smart notification system diminishes the probability of abandonment because it will remind the user of what they were searching and even ask why they decided not to book.
Hotels ought to continue embracing technological innovations and consider it as something not optional but essential to the modern guest experience. Millennials have a different set of values and expectations, which means that the traditional marketing techniques and advertising channels that enticed their parents to book a hotel room are no longer going to work on this generation of consumers.
