Thursday, June 27, 2024
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Summer vacation fever is peaking as 75% of travelers see Americans prioritizing travel in 2024. There’s a rising trend towards digital, self-service hotel experiences.
The rush to embark on a summer vacation is in full swing, as three out of four travelers observe that Americans are placing a higher priority on travel in 2024. Additionally, there’s a growing preference for a digitally-driven, self-service approach to hotel stays among these travelers.
A recent survey conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Mews, a leading hospitality cloud provider, revealed that nearly 80% of travelers are open to staying at hotels with fully automated front desks or self-service kiosks. Moreover, over 40% of these travelers prefer to check in through a hotel’s website, app, or digital kiosk.
The survey, which included 2,000 participants evenly split between travelers and hotel workers, highlighted that hotel staff expect an increase in guests using technology during their stays, with a quarter predicting more frequent check-ins via digital means compared to previous years.
Key findings from the survey include:
- Travelers’ ideal hotel features: in-room smart home devices (43%), keyless room entry (34%), mobile room entry (27%), and digital ordering (24%).
- A third (36%) of travelers admitted to using AI for travel recommendations.
- Nearly a third (29%) of employed Americans confessed to working remotely while on vacation without informing their bosses:
- 52% would use vacations to work remotely.
- 39% do so because they enjoy their work.
- 28% work to meet important deadlines overlapping with vacation time.
- 26% work to save on PTO.
- Four in five working Americans are willing to work remotely from their hotel, with 69% preferring to do so from their hotel room, a quarter opting for the hotel pool or spa, and nearly 25% choosing the hotel bar or restaurant.
The survey also found that business travel often leads to extended stays for leisure. Nearly half (48%) of respondents have turned work trips into vacations. Hotel workers noted that guests on business or blending work with leisure are the easiest to serve (83% and 76%, respectively). Additionally, hotel staff expect such guests to tip more (39%), extend their stays more often (38%), and use hotel amenities more frequently (31%). Furthermore, 79% of hotel workers reported that guests frequently ask for local recommendations.
“Trends in hospitality are ever-changing but we’re seeing indicators that people are prioritizing travel again. While we’re seeing some softness in mid-market and select service hotels, the luxury sector seems resilient. Guests visiting luxury properties are spending more on bucket list trips and staying for longer,” said Richard Valtr, Founder of Mews. “We’re also seeing a continuous rise in people extending work trips for some added leisure time and blending work with vacations. The most forward-thinking hotels are tapping into this trend by embracing personalized guest experiences and offering a variety of amenities that appeal to differing guest needs. More and more hotels are adopting technology that creates seamless experiences for their guests, no matter the reason for their trip.”
“Technology enables our teams to gather robust guest information before they arrive at one of our locations, which empowers our customer service teams to create unique ‘excite and delight’ opportunities for guests, resulting in powerful moments and lifelong memories for our guests,” commented Ryan Krukar, VP Sales & Marketing at Gravity Haus. “Identifying and understanding a guest’s needs before they arrive at one of our locations and going above and beyond for guests is key in delivering authentic hospitality and provides additional value and comfort while simultaneously immersing a guest in the unique culture of the destination they are visiting.”
“Anticipating guests’ needs is a crucial component to providing exceptional customer service throughout their stay,” said Andrew Gauthier, General Manager at The Incline Lodge. “By tracking individual attributes and preferences of new and returning guests, we can provide a truly curated experience for every guest that comes through our door. Technology also enables us to provide an easy and efficient contactless and self check-in process, so our staff can spend more of their time interacting with guests.”
Survey Methodology:
A random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 American travelers and 1,000 American hotel workers was commissioned by Mews Systems, Inc. and conducted by OnePoll between January 30 and February 8, 2024. OnePoll, a market research company, ensures the credibility of its surveys as its team members belong to the Market Research Society and hold corporate memberships with the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Market Research (ESOMAR).
