If you’re anything like me, you consider a hotel stay the ultimate luxury. An opportunity to throw your bags at your feet, dive head first into a pillowy mattress, and have someone take care of you. The world is a tough place and sometimes we just want to throw our towels on the ground and leave them there. Am I right?
Apparently so, because nearly 60% of the 500 millennials we recently surveyed said their favorite part about staying in a hotel is “not having to clean up.”
There is a certain feeling we get when staying in a hotel. Perhaps a sense of freedom, comfort, or relaxation. Whatever that feeling is will ultimately be associated with the brand of hotel we stayed at. Pretty powerful stuff. So we wanted to know, what makes a hotel stay a good one? How does someone aged 18-34 choose a hotel – especially, during a time when services like Airbnb exist? And what could a hotel provide to make the experience a positive one?
We surveyed more than 500 millennials nationwide, and asked them these questions and more. The results helped us understand the full hotel experience from booking to checkout. Here’s what they had to say:
When deciding to travel, the majority of our respondents began their journey online, with 64% using travel booking websites. Price and location are the top two things guests look for when choosing a hotel 60% said when arriving to their hotel room, the first thing they look for is their bedding.
We also asked respondents about the check-in and out process. Their pains mostly were with slow service, long lines, and unwarranted charges. Seems fair. But is there a way to avoid these pains? Is there a way to leave the guest with that magical feeling rather than the annoyance of poor service? Would guests ever be interested in digitally checking in and out of a hotel? The answer is an overwhelming, yes.
90% of our respondents said they would be interested in digitally checking-in and out of a hotel.
In a world where we have eliminated so many of the annoyances of poor service with the click of a button, this makes total sense. Why scream into a phone to place a food order when I can easily order from an app? Why call a restaurant and deal with a snobby hostess when I can book a reservation online? Why make hotel guests wait in line to begin their experience when we know this audience favors website self-service solutions over assisted service.1 This could very well be the first and last thing that a guest remembers. And ultimately, the thing that create the feeling that will keep them coming back.
Want more insights? Check out the infographic below and view our latest white paper.