Hotels need to cater for a new breed of traveller with changing expectations, says new report
Hotels will need to cater for a new breed of traveller that values life experiences and being connected with people over luxury items, according to a new report published by Global hotel consultancy firm HVS London.
A New Breed of Traveller concludes that hotels face the risk of failing to adapt to the effects developing technology and globalisation have had on the expectations of younger travellers.
The report features interviews from leading hotel executives and outlines that a new generation of travellers see luxury more in the storytelling of having an experience, rather than in the abundance of luxury items featured during their stay at hotels.
For example, young travellers are much more satisfied with a hotel lobby they can sit in and drink coffee while surrounded by other people, as opposed to having a coffee machine in their room.
The findings also suggest that hotel services will need to become more intuitive and casual to cater for this new generation, albeit with the same level of respect, while some hotels are abandoning uniforms and putting an end to scripting responses to visitors.
“You can buy status symbols, but buying an experience is much harder,” says Veronica Waldthausen, co-author of the report and HVS associate.
“Whereas leading hotels used to be equipped with gadgets and technology, the new breed of traveller wants the confidence of places that understand them, and to be surrounded by a community of like-minded people, wherever they go.”
Though many hotels are changing to meet these requirements, a large number are still failing to modernise to meet these new expectations.
To fulfill the needs of this new segment of travellers, hotels will also need to change their structure and physical appearance too, with those hotels already making these changes being dubbed as lifestyle hotels.
For example, some lobbies are becoming larger, while there are more open social hubs and gathering spaces, with a mix of comfortable couches, communal workstations and places to meet.
Formal divisions between the lobby, restaurant and bars are also disappearing.
Rooms are changing too, with hotels having smaller rooms as guests spend more time in social places. People also prefer to sit on chairs or on beds to work, as opposed to using desks in their rooms.
“The new era is about participating in an experience, rather than flaunting wealth,” says Arlett Oehmichen, HVS London director.
“The new-breed of ‘lifestyle’ hotels have adapted, differentiating themselves in both style and service and are offering a new kind of product that is comfortable and simple, a place where guests can become part of an experience by interacting with the people that live there as well as staff.
“There will always be a market for wall-to-wall luxury, but it is lifestyle hotels that are prompting change throughout the industry.”
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
