For long, the travel industry has focused on three main tourist categories – couples, families, and business travelers. However, the last decade has seen a growing passion and desire for travel amongst wide-eyed explorers in the age bracket of 18 to 35 years.
This modern traveler comes with a different perception of the world. Adventurous, open to new experiences, socially savvy, and eager to immerse themselves in local food and culture, they are a new breed of vacationers helping generate tremendous sales and revenue across the hospitality business.
For your hotel to attract the modern young traveler, it is first important to realize that they are a pretty distinct group and include solo men and women travelers, young families, small groups of friends celebrating special events, honeymooners and couples, as well as staycation enthusiasts, bloggers, influencers, and more.
As such, hotels must work alongside a dedicated marketing agency like Adigital to create a strategy that caters to all modern travelers.
The modern young traveler – a character study
Understanding the broad behavioral patterns of modern tourists is a significant first step toward creating a marketing plan to attract them. Among some of the main characteristics one notices in new-age explorers are;
Knowledgeable – The modern traveler, thanks to the internet, is more likely to be informed about your hotel and surroundings. They tend to examine, compare prices, and make room selections based on extensive research.
Demanding – Because modern tourists are more aware, they tend to be more demanding.
Tech savvy – From using apps and pocket WiFi to wanting the latest in-room tech features, modern tourists are digitally informed about all the latest advancements in the business.
Vocal – Whether positive or negative, young modern travelers are more vocal and expressive about their experiences. They are likelier to leave feedback, blog about places, and share pictures and videos on social media.
How can a hotel attract the modern young traveler?
As with most hotel marketing and branding strategies, one should take a multifaceted approach toward generating more direct bookings. For modern tourists, a mix of online, social media, and on-ground measures work best.
Since each of the above requires equal amounts of dedication and time, hiring a hotel marketing agency to handle and overlook the plan is a money-saving venture that allows you to focus on other aspects of running the business.
At Adigital, we take pride in analyzing your hotel’s Big Data to understand your customer base better and then devise a strategy that captures a broader audience to maximize revenue.
Go mobile-first
Among the quintessential requirements for your hotels to attract the modern young traveler is to go mobile first. This includes having a website and booking platform that is easy to use on mobile devices.
Remember, today’s tourists are incredibly tech-savvy, performing all their searching, viewing, and booking procedures on mobiles.
Be tech-savvy
In continuation, to charm modern travelers, try and install technological titbits across the entire online and on-site landscape of the hotel.
A dedicated app with all possible information about the hotel and features, Bluetooth speakers in rooms, power points for various devices, laptop safes, tablets to control lighting, digital guides, and free WiFi are some amenities that travelers these days find appealing.
Invest in social media marketing
Arguably, social media is the primary source of infotainment for Millennials and Gen Z. As a result, a significant part of your advertising budget should go into social media marketing.
At Adigital, we include different publicizing techniques when creating a social media plan. These range from unique hashtags for guests to use when posting photos to influencer marketing and hosting special online deals to generate a trending buzz.
Create the right on-site atmosphere
In order for your hotel to attract the modern young traveler, the vibe of the establishment should come across all marketing ventures and especially on the hotel’s website.
Modern travelers looking for that perfect on-site environment will find a bright, happenings, thematic, boutique property more alluring.
Moreover, events such as in-house mixers where guests can mingle, games, city walks, and complimentary happy hours at the hotel’s bar are other ways to make your property more tempting to book.
In addition to the above, having a separate shared workspace is an excellent move to interest digital nomads and tourists looking for an extended stay.
Promote on your hotel website
Your hotel website is the best instrument in your marketing arsenal; thus, you must put it to good use. Following are some ways in which you can design a website to attract the modern young traveler;
- Visuals – Strategically placed visual media such as photos, videos, and virtual reality walkthroughs across your website help showcase your hotel in a vibrant and modern fashion, giving the guests an authentic look at all the facilities and amenities.
- Content creation – The blog section of your website is a fantastic opportunity to implement SEO, rank higher on search engines, and solidify your brand by being a source of information. Trending and viral blogs about the best nightlife, bars, restaurants in the city, or places to see are helpful for the guest and increase rankings on SERPs.
- Feature advertising – Your website further lets you advertise all your hotel’s on-ground features. Whether it is festive dinners, cheaper single rooms, complimentary amenities, and collaboration with local businesses, you can use the website to highlight these features.
- Eco-friendliness – The modern-day traveler is much more conscious about the environment, with many choosing to only stay with eco-friendly properties. While you might take measures like no single plastic use, reusable towels, and recycling at the hotel, one should separately promote the same on the website as well.
Deals and freebies
Everyone loves freebies, the modern traveler more than the others. Consequently, try incorporating as many deals as possible. Some of these promos can be exclusive to your hotel website, encouraging guests to book directly with you.
Free shuttle to and from the airport, the nearest beach, or downtown is a much-loved feature, as is unlimited water in the bedrooms and complimentary breakfast.
Additionally, you can have free movies, laundry, and curated snacks in the rooms, all being small investments that leave a memorable impression.
Market directly and on OTAs
One benefit of hiring a hotel marketing agency is that they can target various sales techniques simultaneously. Now, although direct bookings are always the aim for any hotel when wanting to attract young modern travelers, it is good to have some presence on OTAs.
The modern tourist is more conscious about how and where they spend money and are thus likely to look for comparisons on OTAs before booking through them.
However, this should not stop you from converting these guests into loyalists when they visit your property so they can book directly with you the next time.
Address safety measures
For many young tourists, it is their first time traveling alone or with friends to foreign lands. Safety, thus, plays an important role, especially as more and more solo women are stepping out to explore the world.
Therefore, it’s vital to address various safety measures your hotel implements. Whether separate women-only floors or time to use the in-house swimming pool, highlighting these efforts on your website can put guests at ease and make them more likely to book with you.
