Covid-19 has changed how and why we travel, accelerated previously
stagnant ideas forward, and created some never-before-seen hospitality
trends.
Suddenly, hotel companies had to innovate in design, technology and
customer preferences, turning 2021 into the year of pent-up travel
demand — and how the hospitality sector adapted.
One
thing's for sure: cookie-cutter companies will struggle to connect with
customers and survive in the future. Personality will now radiate
through the property, staff, and online footprint.
AI and automation will continue its adoption
globally, as the industry seeks to reduce operational costs without
skimping on service. Think virtual assistants, chatBots, robots,
streaming platforms, keyless entries. Big data and technology have also
been more integral than ever to leverage on customer data, so as to
create customised offerings for guests.
Experiences have gone on an overdrive, with many hotels seeking to differentiate their brand
by offering something unique in design, layout or service, also diving
deep into a locale's DNA, and catering to societal trends. Think
lifestyle properties by major hotel chains, such as from Moxy to 25
Hours, Canopy to Cosi, Voco to Vib.
Bleisure travel
is also a keyword, since remote working is now commonplace in many
organisations and looks to be more than a passing trend. According to a
December 2021 MICE study by Great Hotels of the World, groups will look
to hotels who can provide exciting team-building, entertainment and
outdoor itineraries to reconnect, recharge. Hotels are also doubling as
offices for bleisure travellers, or locals seeking a change in
environment.
With
a generation of travellers who are more aware of how transportation and
over-tourism are harming the destinations they love, sustainability will continue to be baked into hotel's business models, with social consciousness at the core of their brand propositions.
On a similar thread, health and wellbeing
will continue to take precedence in a post-pandemic environment, say
hospitality management university Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.
Alongside stringent health measures to protect individuals from the
virus, the wellness sector will continue to see high demand to heal the
mind, body and soul through holistic hospitality.
Hotels
will always be about people. And while automation and digitalisation
enhance interactions at a more personalised level, nailing that balance
will be the difference between a hotel that waits by the sidelines — or
the hotel that is out there dunking in the goals.