Mobile Tech is Key for Hotels Looking to Engage Millennial Guests
Hospitality industry experts agree that it is vital for hotel operators to use mobile tech to properly cater to millennial guests
In the past decade or so, smartphones have changed our lives. There are almost quite literally apps that do everything, from improving the quality of photos to helping us navigate the roads to allowing us to book travel online.
Over the past decade as well, hotels have begun to focus on enticing millennial guests. The previous generation, the Baby Boomers, have largely aged up and are no longer the most lucrative market for the hospitality industry. They have instead been placed by the younger generation, known as the millennials. This generation is also one that has grown up in the smartphone area, and largely expects to be able to use an app to do everything.
With this in mind, hospitality industry experts say that it is vital for hotels to use mobile tech to properly cater to millennial guests, which are key to success in the current global hospitality market. Statistics bear out the importance of mobile in this day and age, with recent studies showing that 95 percent of Americans own a mobile phone of some kind, with the vast majority of 77 percent owning a smart phone. Globally, those numbers are closer to 66 percent owning a mobile phone and about 50 percent using a smart phone.
Simply put, mobile tech is not a trend. It's here to stay as a major influencer in our lives. So, what does this mean for hotel owners and operators? Well, consider that about two thirds of U.S. travelers have at some pointed shopped for or booked air or hotel on a mobile device, and of that group, about half are travelers under the age of 35, which in other words makes them millennials.
Taking all this into consideration, there are some keys to mobile success among millennial guests, one of which is ensuring that a hotel's mobile website is never broken or ineffective. Millennials have a stock attitude toward tech that states it should work and it should work well, otherwise they are liable to take their business elsewhere. Design is also crucial, as studies have shown that more than 50 percent of users won't suggest a business that has a mobile website with poor design, and, as those who study the industry well know, millennials put a heavy emphasis on peer recommendations. So, take your mobile website's design seriously and create something that's both sleek and reliable.
Another thing to consider is the impact of video media. Now, most hotel owners and operators have videos of their properties on their websites. This has been a standard among most of the industry for some time. Recent studies, however, show that nearly 50 percent of millennials view online videos solely on mobile devices. What this means is that those videos on your website really aren't doing you much good. Simply put, to reach millennials you need to have videos that are easily streamed on mobile channels as well.
Let´s take a look at 3 hotel projects targeting milennials:
Guests will be able to walk to London's buzzing East End in under 20 minutes [READ MORE…]
The Moxy Hotel will be excellent for price conscious, modern travelers. The hotel will offer high-speed WiFi as well as an open-lobby area [READ MORE…]
The Radisson Red will comprise a stylish "Redeli" restaurant and a "Oui" bar; a gallery; more than 100sqm of meeting space; a gym; and 78 parking spaces [READ MORE…]
More information about Hotel Projects can be found on TOPHOTELPROJECTS, the specialized service provider in the exchange of cutting-edge information of hotel construction in the international hospitality industry.
Jule Grass
Marketing Manager
+49 4261 4140 309
TOPHOTELPROJECTS
