July 28, 2015  by

DATÜM: Affordable Luxe Travel

The demographics are rapidly shifting when it comes to hospitality design. What trends are catching on, and who’s leading the pack when it comes to fresh ideas for the modern traveler experience?

Influence

Young travelers prioritize authenticity, community and affordability when searching for a place to stay.

  • 75% of millennials see their travel style as urban [source: Hipmunk 2015]
  • 50% of millennials want integration of tech throughout their hotels [source: Hipmunk 2015]
  • 40% of millennials saying they used a hotel during their last trip (versus 3.7% saying they used Airbnb during their last trip) [source: Skift, 2015]

datum-001-luxe-travel-graphic-2_blog

Inspire

To cater to this unique demographic, several new hotel and hostel brands that offer affordable luxury have launched.

Local, Artsy Flavor

Hospitality brand citizenM aims to bring ‘affordable luxury’ to millennials through its global portfolio of boutique hotels located in prime cities throughout Europe and, more recently, New York. Created with tech-savvy, design-oriented and budget-conscious young travelers in mind, the brand offers conveniences like one-minute check-in and 30-second check-out, complimentary WiFi and movies, and jet lag killing rain style showers. Curated cocktails and fast-casual food offerings are also made available in an effort to cater to what citizenM calls its ‘mobile citizens’.

Feed the Social Yuccie. Yup. (aka, Young Urban Creative)

The world’s first “Instagram hotel” opened in 2013 as part of the 8Hotels stable after a $30m makeover. With a five-story atrium, exposed brick walls and colorful furniture, Sydney’s 1888 Hotel provides plenty of photo ops for its social media-savvy guests. Screens at the reception desk display a constantly updated feed of photos uploaded with the #1888hotel hashtag, while guests can proceed to the specially designated “selfie space” and take a photo behind a gilt frame. Instagram users with more than 10,000 followers get a free night’s stay, as does the guest who posts the most creative shot of the hotel each month.

Hybrid Spaces

Launching this summer in Amsterdam, Zoku (Japanese for “family” or “tribe”) hopes to facilitate global living and working for young, traveling professionals or “global nomads.” Zoku is a new brand of hotel that will feature micro-lofts that are “hybrids” for living/working — more suitably designed for domestic routines like cooking, entertaining and working than the conventional hotel room.

Rise of Poshtels

Upscale hostel brand Freehand opened in Chicago recently, the company’s second property in the US and another location is coming soon to Los Angeles. Freehand was created for young global adventurers and emphasizes amenities such as private bathrooms, lively bars featuring specialty cocktails, rooftop yoga, chic rooms and offers access to a guest kitchen. Design-led Generator Hostels, the fastest growing hostel brand in Europe, has plans to reach 12,500 beds spread across 15 properties by 2018 and is reportedly close to acquiring a building in Miami Beach.

 

Invent

For millennials, it’s all about affordability, comfort and convenience – with an authentic, artsy edge. Keeping that in mind, future-thinking brands can leverage these trends into strategies that provide unmatched experiences for young travelers.

  1. When it comes to guest data, don’t just guess.
    • Anticipate guest needs and be prepared to adapt to (and invest in) changing technology and better property management systems.
    • Show that you value their time, implement technology solutions to be more efficient so guests can drive their own experience before, during and after check-in.
  2. Personalization is no longer a luxury.
    • Incentivize their visit by offering opportunities for guests to get additional loyalty rewards for things like using dry cleaning services or ordering room service.
    • App programs are allowing guests to control their own room temperature or order room service when they are away – let the guests decide what’s best for them and give them the tools to make it happen.
  3. Create an authentic stay.
    • Differentiate your brand by selecting a unique array of amenities and designing spaces for the audience you want to attract. Targeting healthy, young urban travelers? Offer complimentary bike-share programs to cruise around the city. Give out reusable branded water bottles and offer filtered water stations around the hotel or partner with local attractions or popular shops to sponsor filtered water stations throughout the city. Offer a complimentary healthy breakfast with options less than 500 calories per serving.
    • Local pervades. Stock the shop with products from local makers, feature artwork from people within the community and source local produce in your cuisine – curating an authentic experience makes guests feel that they can get the real taste of the city without leaving the lobby.
    • Celebritize your staff via storytelling: highlight what’s unique about your employees on all of your channels – design a space for guests to learn about the mixologist that will make their cocktail upon arrival. Happy employees equal a better guest experience, so get them involved in spreading the awesomeness on social media.

 

 

 

CallisonRTKL

CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.
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