Experts share the latest thinking about how millennials book, stay and spend at hotels, and it’s all about experience.
專家分享最新關於千禧世代如何預訂房間、住宿及酒店消費的看法，而這全都與體驗有關。

Josiah Mackenzie (left), VP of business development at ReviewPro; and Christine Hight, senior director of market research for Hilton Worldwide Holdings, share insights about how millennials book hotels and travel during a panel at the recent Southern Lodging Summit. (Photo: Don Reber Photography)

The process starts by looking at age and life experience, explained Christine Hight, senior director of market research for Hilton Worldwide Holdings. While millennials as an age group fall into the 18- to 35-year-old age range, Hight said they break into two distinct groups in terms of their worldview and behaviors.

“It’s driven by life experience and earning potential,” she said. “Some of those in the younger group may be in college or not even there yet, so they’re not necessarily living independently. Their discretionary income is limited, as is their life experience.”

Bump up a few years, though, and the situation is different.

不過，年紀多個幾歲，狀況就會不同。

“By the time people hit 25, they’re looking at marriage, starting families, starting their careers, and their values have changed,” she said.

Christine Hight 接著說：「到了人們滿25歲時，他們就著眼於婚姻，開始成家立業，而他們的價值觀也跟著改變。」

That older group is the one in which people naturally start earning more discretionary income, which they’ll spend on travel and other hotel experiences, said Albert Smith, SVP at Pivot Hotels & Resorts, the division of Davidson Hotels & Resorts that concentrates on lifestyle and boutique hotels.

Pivot Hotels & Resorts(專注於生活風格與精品型酒店的Davidson Hotels & Resorts的旗下分支)的資深副總裁 Albert Smith說，較年長的族群等同於人們自然開始賺取較多可支配收入的階段，而可支配收入常會花費在旅遊與其他的酒店體驗中。

“This group is aspirational, and they want to engage in these environments (of interesting hotels) from a lifestyle perspective,” he said. “Even if they don’t stay in the hotel, they may go to the bar or restaurant, and that’s part of the experience.”

Albert Smith補充道：「這樣的族群是一般人夢寐以求的，而且他們想要以生活風格的觀點在有意思的旅館環境中有所參與。就算他們沒有去住旅館，他們也會去館內的酒吧或餐廳享用餐飲服務，而這就是體驗的一部份。」

Since this age group is so technologically connected, especially via mobile phones, attracting them to your hotel property must happen early and thoroughly.

“Just watching friends and my own wife book travel, I can see that everything’s about reviews,” said Josiah Mackenzie, VP of business development at ReviewPro. “So if something isn’t in the top percentile of restaurants or hotels, it’s not even in the decision set. So I’m looking at the top five, maybe the top three restaurants or hotels when I make a decision.”

Great photos, videos and descriptive content also go a long way with this visual-learning cohort, Hight said, as does creating booking options that facilitate travel in groups.

“We have found that at their age, when they have not yet committed to marriage and children, they’re traveling but they also have limited income, so we learn that they can come together for travel and maybe trade up and stay in a nicer place,” she said.

Making the process easy and efficient also appeals to these digital natives, said Christine Kettmer, Marriott International’s senior director of consumer insights advisory services for the Americas.

“Any channel that makes booking very convenient, it’s going to be the winner,” she said, citing that this age group is accustomed to the one-step shopping process popularized by Amazon.

Christine Kettmer說：「任何讓訂房簡便的管道就會是贏家。」她並引述這年齡族群習慣於一站式購物流程，這是由亞馬遜購物網站所普及的。」

“There’s a big mentality that if something doesn’t happen on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, it didn’t happen at all,” Kettmer said. “So the validation that comes with those bragging rights that say, ‘I’ve stayed at this hotel’ or ‘I went to this location,’ that’s really important.”

Christine Kettmer說：「大多數的千禧世代心態是 ─ 如果某個事物並未出現或發生在臉書、推特或Instagram上頭，那麼該事物就根本沒發生或出現過。因此，炫耀『我住過這家酒店』或『我去過這個地方』的認可(認同)是十分重要的。」

That influences what millennials will pay for, too.

這也影響著千禧世代掏錢消費的對象。

“There’s an interesting dichotomy that happens with millennials in that they want to have some luxurious or pampering experiences, but they may trade those off with others because they have limited discretionary funds,” Hight said. “So they may be selective about where they stay, at a moderately priced location, but they want to go to the cool bar and get a $15 cocktail and be seen there.”

希爾頓全球置業的市場研究資深協理 Christine Hight 說：「千禧世代有個有趣的分裂心態在於他們想享受一些奢華或受寵的尊榮體驗，但卻又得與其他事物之間做取捨，因為他們可自由運用的資金有限。因此他們對於住宿的旅館酒店有所挑選且要位處合理價格的地點，不過他們會想去一間超酷炫的酒吧，點上一杯要價15美金(約新台幣470元)的調酒，並想被酒吧裡的男女給看上。」

This group of travelers seeks experiences both in and outside the hotel, so the more hotels can facilitate that process, the more successful they’ll be at garnering loyalty.

這世代的旅人尋求酒店內外的體驗，所以越多酒店能簡化這歷程，他們越能成功贏得顧客忠誠。

“Anything that can be done to make the guest feel like they’re part of a welcoming environment makes them feel like they’re in the know,” Kettmer said. “That’s one of the biggest compliments they can receive, so enabling off-property experiences as much as on-property is very important.”

That’s where partnerships come in, as well as staff education, said Hight. She said that when staff or even online tools via the hotel’s website can help show guests their proximity to interesting attractions or activities nearby, that’s the goal.

Christine Hight 說：那就是酒店合作的企業與員工教育訓練所起的作用。當員工或甚至是酒店網站的線上功能可以指引出附近有意思的景點或活動時，此即體驗的目標。

The facilitation of experiences is a big differentiator between hotels and Airbnb, Mackenzie said. Since hotels are staffed 24/7, they can offer more real-time suggestions about what’s going on in the city than an absent Airbnb host can do.

 ReviewPro的事業發展部副總裁 Josiah Mackenzie說：體驗的便利性是旅館酒店與Airbnb之間的大差異。自從旅館提供了全日服務的人員，他們能提供即時的建議如所在城市的當前活動多過於不在場的Airbnb屋主所能做的。

Brand and property loyalty is where the speakers said millennials differ most from their older traveling counterparts, so hoteliers must adapt.

專題會議的主講者指出對酒店品牌及酒店本身的忠誠度是千禧世代有別於相對年長的旅行族群之處，因此旅館酒店業者必須學著去適應。

One of the biggest changes, Kettmer said, is that millennials may not show their loyalty in the form of multiple repeat stays—they are after unique experiences every time they travel, after all—but rather they may show it in the form of recommendations to friends and social networks.

萬豪酒店集團美洲區的消費者洞見諮詢服務資深協理 Christine Kettmer說：「其中一項重大的改變是千禧世代大概不會以酒店常住客的方式來表現其忠誠度(畢竟這是每次旅行的事後獨有經驗)，而是改以推薦給朋友及社會網絡成員的形式來表達。」

“Any opportunity to post about an experience on social or review sites is important—it shows loyalty if someone is willing to take the time to write a review or speak about experience,” she said. “That’s an indicator that someone is willing to pass along that word-of-mouth recommendation.”

For more immediate loyalty rewards, many hotels are turning to instant recognition or gift rewards instead of traditional points. All methods have their value and trade-offs, Hight said.

“Brand recognition isn’t just about a free stay,” she said. “It’s about recognizing the value of that guest. While (millennial) guests may not come back next week, in three or four years they might, and as long as we’re trustworthy, that will pay dividends in the long term.”