The Different Needs Of Hotel Guests
Internet for business travelers, a hotel app for millennials and good food for generation 50+ – and just like that you have satisfied all your hotel guest’s needs. If only everything in life would be that simple. But is that really what your hotel guests want? In this three-part series we will spill the truth about guest clichés and what business travelers, families, baby boomers and millennials are really expecting from a hotel.
Guests Look For Information About Hotels Online
Due to the digitization there were changes in the needs and travel habits of hotel guests, starting with the search for information and the booking behavior. 61%, so more than one in two travel planners, use online information sources for the concrete travel planning. With 35% the websites of accommodations are especially popular, followed by rating platforms with 23%.
Hotel Bookings Via Computer And Smartphone
The bookings and the information sources have something in common. According to the ADAC Reise-Monitor 2018, three out of four short trips are booked online. If your hotel cannot be found on the Internet, you miss out on a large number of potential customers. In addition to computers, smartphones are increasingly used for Internet access. That is no surprise, if you consider that 91% of German households currently own a smartphone.
Reach Guests Mobile Optimized
The satisfaction of users is strongly dependent on the loading speed of a website. That is why mobile optimized sites are extremely important. A hotel website that is not displayed correctly on the smartphone or needs more than three seconds to load? The majority will close it instantly. According to a study by Google not a single German hotel website meets this requirement. Mobile websites from online travel agencies are better optimized.
The New Needs Of Hotel Guests
During the vacation guests do not want to leave their smart devices behind. Here, smartphone and Co. are still used to get information about the travel destination, restaurants and hotels. Almost 70% of the people surveyed use their devices to stay in contact with friends and family. 49% need their digital gadgets to read online news and around 17% like to keep streaming music, movies and TV series during their vacation.
Stand Out As A Hotel With Special Offers
To satisfy hotel guests, hoteliers should take this behavior and the guest’s needs into account and provide suitable offers in the hotel. Only with a clear focus on your target group, you can adjust your offers to the needs and wishes of your guests and stand out from the crowd. With special arrangements in your hotel, you can address specific target groups and create unforgettable memories of the hotel. Therefore you should be aware of who your offers are targeting and what specific needs these guests have.
Who Wants What In The Hotel?
Even though travelers agree that a comfortable bed and Internet access in the hotel are important, the various target groups have criteria that do not necessarily match. The needs of business travelers differ from those of families, and these in turn are different from the demands of the millennials. In the first part of our series “What Hotel Guests Want In The Digital Age” we focus on the needs of business travelers in hotels.
What Are Business Guests Looking For In Hotels?
Business travelers are a valuable group of guests. This is reflected in the rising expenses for business travel in the past years. In order to successfully address this target group, it is important for hotels to consider the busy schedules of business travelers. When the business traveler arrives at the hotel, long queues at check-in are extremely annoying. With the option of online check-in, you save the business guest from annoying waiting times. A service of the hotel, that the traveler appreciates.
Time Is Money
Access to information about how to get to the hotel, on-site parking spaces and public transport, before the guests arrive at the hotel, makes the travel planning a lot easier. The hotel location is a decisive factor for business guests when choosing a hotel. More than a third of business travelers choose the hotel according to its location and public transport. By providing such information on your own website or on search engines, such as Google, you support your guests in their hotel research.
Scoring Points With The Right Workstation In The Hotel
A business guest will be working during their hotel stay. That is why he needs places where he can work. It does not necessarily have to be the desk in the hotel room. With a modern, open space to work with freely accessible power outlets, access to printer, scanner and reliable wireless LAN , you can meet your guest’s needs and motivate him to work in your hotel. The reachability in the hotel through all mobile networks makes work even easier for your guest.
Digital Information For Conference Guests
To keep your guests well informed about conferences in your hotel, clearly present important information on a display in the lobby or in conference rooms. With information systems in the hotel, such as iQ Conference, which also provide timetables and traffic information in real time, your conference guests save time and avoid stressful planning. In addition, a well-balanced breakfast is at the top of the wish list – preferably to go.
Business Before Pleasure
Once the work is done, business travelers want to relax in the hotel’s wellness area or exercise in the gym. At least that is what every fifth business guest wishes for. It is disappointing, if there are no more free appointments or spaces for him. With the help from digital guest directories, such as the iQ Tab, which make it possible to book and reserve offers, this can easily be avoided. The day before, business guests can book an appointment or check at short notice when appointments are available. Thus the hotel offer can be perfectly integrated into the guest’s schedule.
Conclusion
Opportunities to work in the hotel but also to relax, offer business guests a significant added value. With their tight schedule, every saved minute is appreciated and they gratefully accept digital assistants in the hotel. A hotel without wireless LAN ist not even an option for business travelers. To what extent this applies to families and baby boomers, we will discuss in part 2 of our series “What Hotel Guests Want In The Digital Age”. What interests and preferences do baby boomers have and what do hotels need to offer, to make a family’s hotel stay as comfortable as possible?
References
ADAC Verlag (2018): ADAC Reise-Monitor: Trendforschung im Reisemarkt 2018
SevenOne Media (2018): Media Activity Guide 2018
Google Inc. (2018): Mobile Speed: Diese 6 deutschen Webseiten übertreffen die Nutzererwartung von 3 Sekunden Ladezeit
G Data Software (2018): Wofür nutzen Sie Ihr internetfähiges Gerät im Urlaub?
Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e. V. (2018): VDR-Geschäftsreiseanalyse 2018
HRS Group (2018): HRS-Auswertung: Nach diesen Kriterien wählen Geschäftsreisende ihr Hotel aus
Statista (2017): Statista-Umfrage Hotelaufenthalte 2017