11 February 2019
The rise in modern consumer demands and advanced technologies has led to many global hoteliers integrating non-traditional services into their business plans in order to ramp up bookings. In this article, we look at hotels offering a ‘home from home’ experience, spaces for co-working and the trend in offering more ‘meaningful’ experiences for holiday bookers.
Home from home
One way hotels are attracting guests is by embracing home sharing. Airbnb is very much the leader in this market, but competitors are quickly catching up. Earlier last year, Marriott International embarked on its first venture into home sharing, under the Tribute Portfolio. The hotelier partnered with Hostmaker for its pilot in London, and found that guests were staying more than twice the typical hotel length of usual stays and were seeking for more space than a hotel, choosing units with multiple bedrooms.
Home from home
The hotels that have already turned their open lobbies into socialising or work spaces are now taking it one step further to cater to business travellers and professionals, setting up co-working areas. Much more than a lobby, the space is offering practical amenities like office supplies, printers and coffee – something the start-up WeWork has seen being a huge success. The likes of Spacemize creates an alternative work environment, branding them as a space that is more productive than working from home, more convenient than working from a coffee shop, more beneficial than having a private office and cheaper than renting a coworking desk. Marketing these spaces as freelance havens has led to the start-up emerging in London’s most exclusive venues.
More meaningful travel experiences
Eco hotels, such as Mauritius based hotel SALT, ensure their bookings include plans to “connect modern explorers with meaningful travel experiences”, and members of staff invite hotel guests to events with family and friends. SALT have found this such a success, there are plans for an opening in Sichuan, China, next year. Hotels and home sharing platforms, such as Airbnb, have realised that guests want more from their hotels than just a bed to sleep in.
Even though these new trends emerging are broadening the scope of the hotel industry and the weak pound is helping lure in inbound leisure travel, uncertain negotiations around Brexit may impact business and leisure travel in the near future and create a new economic environment for the hospitality industry, which the hotel sector needs to be ready to adapt to.
If you have any queries or would like to discuss this issue further, please contact your local UHY adviser. Alternatively, fill out our contact form here.
References:
How dispersed hotels are bringing life back to communities, Lonely Planet
Package Holiday Trends 2018 report, Holiday Hypermarket
From Living Coral to boatels, the 12 hottest hotel trends for 2019, The Telegraph
