Summer is here, time to discover some immediate travel trends for the summer that should get Hotels attention.
Travelers have demonstrated that they will turn from known Hotel brands that under-deliver on experiential offerings, to new upstarts that promise a solution.
2018 will see a divergence emerge between the laggards offering outdated and insufficient services, and the smart Hotel brands that deliver on authentic experiential travel.
New Hotel openings, renewed Social Media Marketing efforts, more Instagram stories, innovative Facebook Ads, rising trends in local experience, anything could happen this summer.
Ready for Summer
A recent research from AARP Travel showed;
- The percentage of Baby Boomer saying they travel to relax and rejuvenate jumped from 38% to 49%
- 74% of employed Millennials with paid time off expect to bring work along on a trip, compared to 56% of Baby Boomers
- In the international travel arena, touring with a local is increasingly appealing
In 2017 bleisure travel (mixing business and travel) was trending. This trend will continue in during 2018, and there are signs travelers will extend the bleisure travel time.
This will require access to reliable WiFi, communication tools and new innovative workspace within Hotels.
Hotels are also increasingly popular as temporary office spaces. With many travelers seeking to combine work and holiday and an increasing flock of freelancers looking for a desk (or an armchair) for the day, more and more Hotels offer spaces to work in.
The key is to implement an innovative workspace with the total summer travel experience.
Wellness and foodies
Innovative Hotels is starting to take advantage of wellness and foodie options for travelers.
Travelers are looking for quality food and drink options when they travel. International travelers actively seek a tasty experience.
The wellness trend is a growing trend among all ages of travelers.
Hotels can combine this with setting up hiking tours, or a local culinary experience tour. Innovation is the key to success.
Travelers will rewards Hotels that can create an authentic experience.
The Local Experience
There is an increasing trend that traveler will seek out the local experience this summer.
Many travelers are looking to achieve something they have never done before.
This is an open wealth of creativity for innovative Hoteliers.
Collaborate with the local artist, photographer, event planners, museums, restaurants, welders, parks, guides etc.
Let guest experience the true value of local, let them take part in some of the unique values that the local community has to offer.
Can you offer a hiking tour, fishing tour, horseback riding, camping in the wild for a night or shop like a local?
Remember the ultimate experience package is what will create your next loyal guest.
Consumer Travel Trends for 2018 (Infographic)
Coming into the summer, many of us will be jetting off for holidays soon, which makes this a good time to look at some of the standout trends in today’s travel market, as outlined in an infographic from Killarney Hotels. Let’s pick out some of the more interesting holidaymaking habits to emerge of late.
- Switch-off holidays: In a world where we have more technology then time, many of us now take holidays with the intention of switching off completely from the less pleasurable aspects of everyday life.
- Early bookings: If you’re only planning your summer getaway now, it might be too late, as consumers are booking popular destinations several months in advance.
- All-inclusive holidays: For young families especially, economical package holidays are the perfect getaway option.
- River cruising: Ocean cruises continue to thrive, although river cruises are enjoying an increasing market share.
- Budget long-haul flights: Several low-fare airlines have started operating long-haul routes for fantastic value.
- Technology pre-planning: Honestly, who doesn’t book a holiday these days without doing a bit of online research first!
- Experience holidays: While budget trips are quite popular, there’s still plenty of us going all-out on special ‘bucket list’ holidays.
- Reliving childhood holidays: A lot of travelers are going back to places that they visited many years ago, with the nostalgia factor alive and well.
- Healthy holidays: Although holidays are often viewed as the perfect break from routine, plenty of travelers are maintaining healthy habits while on holiday.
For further reading on these, check out the infographic below.
From a Social Media Consultant’s standpoint, the Social Media Community can offer Hotels a one-stop-shop for managing their Social Media marketing such as the community infrastructure, database, listening functionality, profile management, collaboration, content marketing and management, and of course, the analytics.
A Social Media Community will help your Hotel to grow smarter and faster when you focus on the value proposition and collaborate in effective ways.
If your Hotel need help to put it all together then make sure to let us know.
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Our Social Media Management team has refined these processes to help Hotels. Contact us today to learn more.
Join our Free Hotel Social Media Community on Facebook for more in-depth insight.
Try something new it will magnetize your Hotel!
Be flexible and identify new ways to make guests happy.
As guest behavior and pattern continues to evolve, expectations will continue to rise. Navigating these changes can be challenging. Learn more about how we can help your Hotel.
Credit
A special thanks to Mary with Killarney Hotels.
About the author
Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast
