Does Your Hotel Appeal to These Post-Pandemic “New Travelers?”

Shifting life and work priorities arising from the pandemic have created hotel guests with new expectations your hotel must meet.

2022 is the year of the “new traveler,” including hotel guests who changed many of their behaviors and expectations during and after the COVID pandemic, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) “2022 State of the Hotel Industry Report.”

“While a true recovery to pre-pandemic levels is still several years away, the more that hotels understand, prepare for, and respond to the needs of the ‘new’ traveler, the brighter the future looks for an industry that is vital to the American economy,” says the report.

So, who are today’s new travelers, and what do they expect and need from the hotel industry?

Read on for more findings from the AHLA report.

Today’s new travelers

The hotel industry is feeling the impact of the ways consumers have changed in what they want, along with how they behave and engage with brands, according to the AHLA report:

“Instead of focusing primarily on price and quality in making purchasing decisions, these new travelers are motivated to purchase by factors including health and safety, ease and convenience, care, trust, and reputation.”

Here’s a brief rundown of today’s new travelers:

Digital nomads

Many travelers love working remotely so much that they’ve decided to hit the road to or landed in another country to perform their work. “As a result, technology will be even more critical in a property’s success,” says the report.

Offering premium Wi-Fi services, guest rooms that are remote-worker friendly and common area coworking spaces that offer a sense of community will appeal to digital nomads and local remote workers alike.

Leisure travelers

Today’s Leisure travelers want flexible, no-penalty booking policies, accessible customer service, sustainable products and hotels that have a positive social impact, according to the AHLA report:

“Leisure travelers with these new motivations will be a significant force driving travel demand in 2022 — a marked shift that began last year after years of business travel being the staple of the global travel industry.”

Many hotels’ business models have traditionally focused mainly on business guest needs, according to the report. Those include restaurants and bars, laundry services, along with fitness and business centers. Leisure travelers like those amenities, too, but they also want spas, pools and  transportation to local tourist attractions.

“As such, hotels will need to make structural changes in how they attract, convert, and retain leisure customers,” says the AHLA report.

Guests who appreciate sustainability

“Hotels that make commitments to sustainability goals and programs are not just satisfying guests’ expectations, they are making changes that are good for the business as well,” according to the AHLA report.

Ways to make your hotel more sustainable include:

• Use contactless key methods such as guest access to rooms with their smartphones to reduce plastic waste
• Provide reusable, branded water bottles to reduce plastic waste
• Equip guest rooms with “smart” features like energy-efficient and/or voice activated lighting, guest-customizable thermostats and occupancy sensors for HVAC and lighting systems to reduce energy waste and costs
• Provide recycle bins in visible areas around the hotel
• Offer housekeeping options that allow guests to pass on daily housekeeping or daily laundering of bed linens

“Hotels that make commitments to sustainability goals and programs are not just satisfying guests’ expectations. They are making changes that are good for the business as well,” says the report.

“Bleisure” travelers

Bleisure travel, which blends business with leisure travel, has “exploded” due to the pandemic’s effect on consumers’ shifting perspectives about life priorities, says the AHLA report.

“This, in turn, will significantly impact hotel operations as the industry responds to meet the needs and expectations of their guests,” says the report. “We might also expect a blurring of these [bleisure and digital nomad] segments as bleisure travelers’ experiences push them to more permanent digital nomad style ways of working.

“Today, bleisure travel is more mainstream among business travelers across demographic groups. In fact, one 2021 study of global business travelers found 89% wanted to add a private holiday to their business trips in the next twelve months.”

Loyalty programs that appeal to all guests

“The most effective loyalty programs will offer more personalized rewards that meet the needs of occasional business travelers and leisure travelers as well,” says the AHLA report.