Hotels 2015 Outlook: What We're Excited To Cover in the New Year

Photo illustration by Barry Kaufman

The great thing about the hospitality industry is it really is a democracy.

You can’t shove things down people’s throats. If you don’t give them what they want right now, they’ll walk…to that hotel across the street that does.

In that respect, hoteliers have become experts on picking up trends in the travel industry and have essentially become chameleons, blending in with the environment around them.

The Year 2014 presented a lot of new trends, as well as recent trends that began to explode. The year also opened up the opportunity for new trends to emerge.

And, believe it or not, some of these trends are actually healthy for us when it comes to our way of living.

Here are five things in the hospitality industry we at TravelPulse are looking forward to the most in 2015.

The Advancement of Technology

The implementation of advanced technology is becoming more and more commonplace among hotels.

Providing free, high-speed Internet has become vital for hotels looking to attract tech-savvy generations like millennials, and even Baby Boomers are becoming more demanding when it comes to technology.

Keyless entry via mobile phones has already been introduced by companies such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Hilton. Marketing methods are becoming more advanced. The development of beacon technology—targeting guests with location-based promotions—has advanced from retail stores to hotels.

While technology has been a focal point for years, technology is being used in more ways than ever before at properties.

It’s going to be interesting to see what pops up next in 2015.

The Deployment of Boutique Hotels

As a boutique hotel lover myself, I’m extremely excited that boutique properties are becoming more mainstream.

Las Vegas recently introduced several new boutique hotels, including The Cromwell, Delano Las Vegas and Downtown Project offering Oasis at Gold Spike. That’s significant, considering Vegas has traditionally offered large-scale hotels.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently bought U.S. boutique company Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants for $430 million, with hopes of expanding the Kimpton Hotels brand to Europe and Asia.

Of course, with more boutique hotels comes more personalized service, locally sourced food options and unique design elements.

Count me in.

The Health and Wellness Boom

I’m personally very excited about the health and wellness movement, considering I (like much of America) eat poorly, to put it lightly.

Specifically, I’m excited about the fact that there are actual health and wellness hotel brands for travelers. Brands that currently focus on health and wellness include Element by Westin, Le Meridien, EVEN Hotels, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Swissotel, Omni Hotels, Trump Hotels, Sheraton and Days Inn. Of course, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas features its groundbreaking “Stay Well” rooms, courtesy of Delos Living.

The greatest thing about staying with a health and wellness brand? If you stay within the property, there is no way you are ordering fast food (you may even be motivated to exercise, who knows?).

Wellness tourism expenditures approached $500 billion in 2013, according to the according to the 2014 Global Spa and Wellness Economy Monitor (including tourists who included wellness in their travel plans, but didn't make it a primary purpose). 

Experiential/Authentic Offerings

More travelers want to be truly immersed in a destination, and hotels are taking note.

While traditional tourist trips are still popular, hospitality companies that are offering experiential and locally-sourced trips are getting out ahead of a trend that is just beginning to blow up.

Travelers don't want another luau—they want a tour through the Big Island’s local towns. They don't just want to sit under palm trees in the Caribbean—they want to go on a boat tour with a local fisherman to view the marine life. Travelers don’t just want tequila—they want tequila from Tequila, Mexico.

It makes sense, too. As the top tourist stops in destinations have become exhausted, travelers want to see what else is out there. People don’t want to travel to the mundane and obvious—they want to travel to the hidden gems of the world and brag to their friends about it. 

And as the demand becomes greater, hotels are partnering with more and more tour operators to present the most authentic and experiential packages they can.

Hoteliers Know Who You Are Before They Even Meet You

OK, this might sound a little scary, but bear with me.

With the advent of personalized marketing, it’s time to accept the fact that anything you do on the Internet—or anything you buy—is going to bring hoteliers closer to knowing exactly who you are and what you like.

That may take a while for some to grasp, but once you accept the fact, you realize the more they know you, the more likely they will cater to your every desire. After all, making you happy puts money in their pockets.

If you haven’t noticed by now, the ads you see on the Internet peculiarly seem to match your tastes. That’s not by accident. Internet marketing is much more advanced these days. You can chat about something on Gchat and—low and behold—see an ad that highlights what you were talking about.

At first, it’s jarring, to say the least. Then you realize, “I can get a great deal on my dream destination?! Privacy be gone!”

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