How to Turn Your Hotel Millennial-Centric? [10 Effective Ways]

I am a millennial, I work a remote 9-5 job, and my travel preferences aren’t the same as other groups of people.

And guess what?

Through all my travel experience, lately, what I have drawn is that hotels aren’t really focusing on catering to millennials.

Last year, when I was in Vientiane, Laos, my hotel didn’t have a stable internet connection. And working with the laggy internet was frustrating.

I didn’t take much time to check out from that hotel.

This isn’t just me. I am sure hundreds and thousands of other millennials would agree with me.

So, hey hoteliers, if you’re reading this, I am here to discuss ‘how you can turn your hotel millennial-centric’.

Trust me, we millennials have quirks and expect our hotel experience to be a little different than others.

If you have been struggling to cater to us, then you’re in luck as I am going to list some of the prominent tips to offer millennials a great experience.

What Do Millennial Hotel Guests Want?

In most common situations, millennials follow a busy and cluttered schedule in their regular life where they do not get to spend quality time with family, friends, or themselves.

The reason they go on a vacation is not just the craze to explore the world but to spend some days without work stress, doing fun activities, and relaxing.

Fun fact: According to a survey result, 83 percent of millennials somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement “I’m all about taking a nap on the beach, spa treatments, and all-day relaxation”

This means comfort is the basic key to targeting millennial guests as they long for a vacation that comes with every service and minimum effort.

Explore more about the travel trends of millennials

Ways to Attract Millennials to Your Hotel

To cater to them, the hospitality industry needs to keep a checklist of what millennials are looking for in hotels while traveling.

For making it convenient, I am sharing with you all the contemporary ways to attract millennials to your hotel. These are easy to be followed at any hotel and can make a massive difference in driving booking from this group of travelers.

1. An amiable ambiance

People today are sensitive to how they are treated at any place. Especially on vacation, they need everything to be positive, and the people around them to be welcoming.

So your hotel, its staff, and overall ambiance should set up a friendly tone. Giving a kickstart with unnecessary professional attitudes can make your millennial friend feel aloof and uncomfortable.

Therefore, it is important to train your hotel staff in a way that your guests feel light and cheerful while interacting with them.

Moreover, the basic tone of your hotel should feel comforting; this includes the building, its colors, and the vibe of the whole space.

Millennials might not spot the particular thing which is wrong but they will just not feel excited if things are in any way dull or lousy.

2. Value for money

Millennials earn, save, and spend their money with care. These people are much more experienced in handling finance and judging services by value.

Therefore, it is a compulsion to give justice to what they pay.

They can live with less adventure but not with fewer facilities. So if they have booked your hotel, then they must have inquired or seen reviews to make sure that your property offers all the necessary amenities at a reasonable price. And it becomes your job to ensure they get it all; be it travel conveyance, good food, comfortable rooms, or quick service.

3. Mobile tech-first

Nobody likes to carry around various documents, papers, or even money nowadays, especially when they are going on a vacay. And millennials are the generation of people that have seen the revolution in mobile technology from the very start.

They are up to date with technology and prefer things to get done with a few clicks. Hence your hotel must become tech-first to give a green signal to millennials. 

Let’s see how.

Millennials travel with planning, the priority being where they will stay. To finalize this, they will always surf the internet. 

Now, if you have not made a website or listed your hotel on Google My Business (GMB) and OTA platforms, they can never reach you.

If they need to call the frontdesk for every small thing rather than just getting access to everything digitally, that will also be a buzzkill.

If they can’t make cashless payments, that will be a killjoy.

It means technology is a major factor through which hotels can keep up with millennials.

4. Transparent hotel policies

Transparency is the key to your hotel’s success. If you are not honest about your policies from the very start then you can lose your millennial audience in no time.

Because these are the people who get agitated the most in such situations where hotels do not mention their policies clearly or only mention when something goes wrong. This is a big disappointment!

Let’s look at this with an example:

Samay has to travel with his pet. He surfed through many booking platforms using a specific keyword – “pet-friendly hotel” and got one property claiming they welcome pets wholeheartedly. So, he made the pre-paid booking. 
However, at the time of check-in, he was told to pay additional charges for his pet. 
See, the reason for his dismay was not that he had to pay extra charges for the pet. But the hotel has showcased only half information about its policy. They have displayed their pet-friendly services but not the charges they cost.

So, even after providing an additional service, hotels can lose their integrity if their policies are not clearly mentioned and taken care of.

5. Indigenous frills

Millennials are always longing to mingle with activities, food, clothing, and even the slang language of the place they are visiting. They desire to enjoy a 360-degree tour of the place and its cultural roots.

To put a fair impression on them, turn your hotel into a flavor of the place they are visiting; in terms of infrastructure, services, food, and overall hospitality. 

For instance, you can welcome them with a snack your place is famous for. In addition, have proximity to the local beauty such as markets, popular monuments, and restaurants having indigenous cuisines.

Millennials love to breathe in the new air because this is why they are visiting the new place – to explore its unique features.

6. Spaces to socialize

There is one thing that most millennials are good at, and that is ‘building real-life networks’.

Even if they are traveling alone, they will find a companion just like themselves and hit it off. Therefore it is only considerate to provide them such spaces where they can socialize and meet new people.

To fulfill this you can set up an in-house restaurant or a small gym area. You can also host some interesting activities or events, where they can socialize and play something together.
Apart from this, utilizing the roof is important for such spaces because a roof can attract a lot of people without much effort. Be it a rooftop bar, a clean pool, or a gaming area.

7. Coworking space

As I mentioned at the start, with changing times and technology, millennials nowadays prefer to work remotely in the comfort of their homes. And while doing this, they can easily plan and go on workations; for they have the leverage of working and vacationing together.

The only terms required here are a good network and workspace. If your hotel provides them with these two things then millennials are all yours.

Though it is comfortable for them to work from their room, they want to go out too. They don’t want to feel like they are at home.

Here comes the need of building a dedicated coworking space in your hotel and set up a required ambiance for working people, and bleisure travelers, who have to take client meetings, to help them crack their deals.

8. Blend of aesthetic and modern

Millennials have become modern in this digital era, yet they seek aesthetic beauty while on a vacation. 

To complement this requirement, your hotel, along with modern tools and technologies, should have an aesthetic beauty attached to it.

Though your hotel building can play a big role in setting up the aesthetic score, there has to be beauty otherwise; the furniture, lighting, artsy decor, and most importantly greenery - trees, and flowers.

These small things can help set a bright mood as most millennials travel from cities to vacation spots and are always up for a green breeze.

9. Personalization

In the hospitality industry, the power of personalization can never be neglected and the same is true with millennials.

When you offer even the tiniest personalized service, they feel like they are in charge of choosing things on their vacation and they like this idea.

Attract them in with this power of control.

You can maybe ask them their food preferences when they book your hotel and give them a welcome meal, help them get trusted conveyance for traveling around, and if they make a special request, do consider it.

10. An extra dose of comfort

Millennials are working all the time whether it is to earn or to run domestic chores therefore, it is reasonable to long for more comfort.

To cater to this, you can provide them with a few services to bring them a feeling of relaxation; a spa service, hot water bath, massage services, an outdoor pool, or whatever best suits your hotel.

Also if you are offering complimentary meals then set the time limits a bit open. I have seen hotels keeping the breakfast only till 7 AM and after that, you need to buy it. This can break the comfort zone of your guests who aren’t morning people and wake up at 9 or 10 AM – which is most of the millennials on trips or vacations.

Also, keep these services free or at discounts, or you can maybe give them a coupon when they book you. It will enhance your image for your millennial guest.