The Millennials are the largest demographic group in society today, and they are avid travelers. They go solo, by couple, or in packs. More than any other previous generation, travel is considered a significant element of their personal identity and an integral part of their ongoing evolution. As this group’s purchasing power expands, they will shape the travel industry with their demands for unique experiences and quality amenities.
What they want from experiences:
- The uncommon. They want a rare, special experiences-one they haven’t seen repeatedly in their media feeds.
- Unplanned, open travel. As long as you have a phone and a whisper of wifi, you can book flights and a place to sleep instantly. Planning a trip in advance is more old school than millennial.
- Connections. They value brief, somewhat controlled opportunities to connect with the culture, by helping build a house, doing a home visit, learning to cook the local cuisine…and they’ll pay to get it.
- Food that makes you feel something. Local is preferred, health conscious, fine, but with a unique presentation that makes them pause. By presentation I mean it must impress or surprise, whether it’s cooked on an open fire or stylized with a gourmet carved avocado orchid that would make even a Japanese smirk. The plate has to make them feel something and be snap worthy.
- Small doses of risk. On the other side of the adrenaline bump lies a sense of victory, accomplishment, being stretched, a braver version of the person they were prior to the experience. Who doesn’t want that.
What they want from hotels:
- Tech-friendly. When the little things become the big things. They need fast wifi to support the content they bring with them, in addition to the work they do, and the social ways they demand to stay connected.
- When will hotels get real about charging needs? Each person typically needs to charge 2-4 items (computer, camera/GoPro battery, cell phone, iPad) nightly. Ideally there should be a minimum of a dozen outlets to charge your tech and a surface to put them on. No one sits at the desk to work, but we stack our stuff there to charge. Why not have a charging shelf, and leave the floor space open. Also, everyone needs an outlet with a small shelf by their bed because our phones are now the last thing we read before bed and the actual alarm that wakes us up.
- Work-friendly. It’s not just about having a cool, funky place to have a coffee or cocktail, they want a cool place to work. More millens are working and traveling, and use shared work space. This area should have comfy chairs or shared tables, outlet for each station, where they can be in a quiet setting to be productive. Being around other working people, even if they’re strangers, encourages personal productivity and is part of what makes a collective work environment so desirable. Chairs in the work area and in the rooms should be comfy and not have arms that make the typing arm position awkward.
- They’re more open to a sharing economy to reduce costs. They fancy options like communal kitchens with 24 hour available coffee, on site bikes, and a knowledgable front desk person who knows how to dole out info on the best unique local experiences.
- Eclectic casual. That’s my term. Millennials aren’t into stuffy, traditional hotel rooms. They want it to feel like someplace they would live. A good bed, comfy chairs they can park in for hours with their laptop, free of cumbersome armrest that make typing awkward. The recently opened Ace Hotel in East Liberty, Pittsburgh has this hotel genre nailed down. Different chairs and lamps, a guitar on the wall ready to play, skip the tub and put in a crazy modern shower, and a bowl of condoms in the wet bar. The successful hotels of the future will need to understand what the millennials want and make it so. This mobile generation will greatly impact the travel industry. I, for one, am excited to watch it unfold.
