Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitality industry has adopted more contact-free technology, resultant of a shift in guest and staff behaviour. More than ever, potential guests are looking for reassurance that places they visit are safe. The aim of these technologies is to ensure the best possible guest experience, both through increased efficiency and (especially since covid) guest safety.
In this blog, we will look at the major hospitality marketing trends that you should consider for 2022 and beyond.
1. Mobile-Friendly services
Customers in the hospitality industry expect a mobile-friendly experiences wherever they go. Many may visit with only a mobile device in hand, making the mobile experience crucial, should they need want to visit your website during or, leading up to their stay.
Roughly 83% of Americans use their phones to access the internet, and by 2023 this number is expected to rise to 90%. Embracing mobile-friendly services and technology is a no brainer for your hospitality business in 2022.
2. Shifting to the sharing economy
From 2020 there has been an upshift in booking for single families from rentals to more secluded accommodations in remote areas. The shift has been brought about by people looking to move to neighbourhoods with large outdoor spaces and remote cottages due to the pandemic. Suddenly, people have realised they don’t need to whizz half way across the world for a good time and this realisation will have ripples in consumer behaviour for years to come.
According to PwC research, revenue from peer-to-peer accommodation services such as Airbnb is forecast to post compound annual growth of 31% by the year 2025, so potential growth is attractive.
As a hotelier, this suggests you should be exploring ways you can enter the P2P market. Some suggestions include managing local peoples rental properties, leveraging your hotels facilities or, adjusting existing spaces to cater more to the self-catering market.
3. Pre-booking via Virtual Reality (V.R.)
Virtual reality is expected to grow from less than $5 billion in 2021 to more than $12billion in 2024. The hospitality industry will begin more and more to use VR to help travellers explore their accommodation and surrounding areas before they visit in real life.
This allows hospitality service providers to market their offers while the customers get an accurate picture of the places they plan to visit. Large hospitality brands are willing to fund this marketing trend this year and, in the years, to come, soon, the scale will catch up and make this easy for any hotel, not just the big dogs. In fact, search “virtual tour for hotel” and you may already be pleasantly surprised at the quotes..
4. Decline in third-party data collection
You need to collect data without involving third parties during advertising and marketing due to increased demand for hospitality customers’ privacy, brought about by public pressure and EU regulations.
Your marketing strategies should be cookie-free to avoid exposing customers’ data in the future.
5. Voice Booking
Approximately 20% of people use voice searches weekly for directions, ordering products, and searching for facts, and the figures are expected to continue to grow.
Hospitality trends are expected to transform through voice search and booking. As a hospitality business owner, you should create a more voice-friendly booking and listing to remain relevant in the coming years.
6. Next-generation travel agent
Nowadays, travel agents are not only focusing on hotel and flight booking. You find them in the entire hospitality industry, like dining reservations, food delivery, long-term accommodation, and ride-sharing.
You should expand your hospitality business to accommodate all upcoming hospitality trends.
7. Go Green
Hotels worldwide are rolling out many green initiatives like waste diversion, solar power installations, and smart showers.
You can win a lot of business by going green and bringing sustainable best practices to your properties.
Focus on efficiency from remote check-in/check-out to keyless entry cut down on lost plastic key cards, reduces paper usage, and even help minimize overstaffing – and the additional carbon emissions it causes.
Final Thought
In the hospitality industry, you should consider the best combinations of the trends above in a way that suits your business and customers.
After identifying the best strategies for your business, adjust your budget allocation marketing techniques accordingly, or employ new ones. Ultimately, none of us no what is to come but you can prepare yourself by taking small actions today – good luck!