Facebook IQ recently issued a study that surveyed loyalty in 14,700 U.S. adults regarding loyalty in five verticals, including the hospitality arena. While the results were somewhat surprising, it also pointed out some common insights, which are often overlooked by hotel brands.
In terms of the surprising outcomes, Millennials stated that they are more likely than Baby Boomers to be loyal to one brand – though they are challenged when it comes to wanting to communicate with hotels with speed and innovation.
However, the most interesting result from the survey was that travelers across all demographics are looking for unique and authentic experiences during their vacations. As highlighted by Travel Tipper, hotels should meet this need by positioning themselves as invaluable resources to help guests plug into the local scene.
Thankfully, there are new guest recommendation applications that put a hotel’s local curated knowledge right at guests’ fingertips. This means offering completely customized recommendations for local restaurants, attractions, concerts and other events. These solutions also help to minimize the friction that often comes with traveling.
In addition, these types of mobile apps allow hoteliers to compile relevant guest data about on- and off-property preferences. Ultimately, this data will evolve to where it is possible to predict the travelers wants and needs before they arrive – providing even more control.
Loyalty often comes down to sharing the right actionable information. Whether it is a local recommendation or simply remembering a guest’s room preferences, there is much that can be done to help establish loyalty in ways that translate into enhanced revenue. The best first step is to be the sound informational resource that plugs any guest into the local scene.