Get ready, the Millennials are changing the concept of luxury in both direct and subtle ways.
The same generation that brought us Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, and popularized coffee bars, bike-share programs and baggy pants, is now making its impact on luxury hotels and resorts.
“Millennials and most guests today want casual sophistication as opposed to intense formality,” says Jim Mostad, director of sales at Florida’s The Breakers Palm Beach.
Born between 1982 and 2004, the oldest Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are now in their early 30s and their needs and desires are influencing the way luxury is presented and executed in the hospitality industry.
There are 79 million Millennials in the U.S., and they will outnumber Baby Boomers by the year 2030 and will become the majority of the working population.
“As organizations become more tech-savvy, you start to see a generational shift in meetings and conventions attendees,” says Tom Faust, vice president of sales, Omni Hotels and Resorts.
Katy Britzmann, director of sales at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa says, “A good, comfortable bed and fine linens are always expected but accessible technology is absolutely critical now.”
Luxury is still treasured by Millennials and younger guests, but nowadays craft beer and grass-fed beef burgers are more appealing to them than champagne and caviar.
“Millennials enjoy excellent, genuine service, fine furniture, artwork and great restaurants, but they desire them in a more relaxed environment with a softer, more welcoming backdrop,” says David Gabri, CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), a national sales organization that represents more than 160 Four- and Five-Diamond luxury hotels and resorts worldwide. “They’re more apt to want color schemes of white and beige instead of gold and black.”
Jim Ward, president of Premier Golf, a luxury golf tour operator in Atlanta, echoes the sentiment.
“Luxury is still about quality, but the setting is expected to be much more inviting and less pretentious,” Ward says. “Many of the world’s great resorts are relaxing their dress code policies. This creates a more casual environment for the clientele while at the same time providing a five-star, quality experience.” PageBreak
Attractive Amenities
Gentlemen and ladies, start your espresso machines.
Coffee bars, expansive lobbies to stretch out and scroll smartphones or surf the Web on a tablet, and expanded room service menus with healthy choices are becoming commonplace, thanks to Millennials.
“Our last three builds in Fort Worth, Dallas and Nashville, which are all convention center properties, all have large lobbies where guests can gather and have light fare and/or cocktails, and all have coffee shops,” Faust says.
Unlike older business travelers, Millennials want to work outside of their room and seek spaces like lobbies, outdoor verandas with Wi-Fi and coffee bars to work and socialize.
Food—and how and where it’s presented—is also important to younger attendees.
“Don’t forget the Millennials are a generation of foodies, with the Food Network being founded in 1993,” says Kelly Parisi, solutions development manager for Spear One, a Dallas-based meeting and incentive planning company. “They’re looking for ‘on the go’ options to maximize their time, such as coffee bars, smoothie stations and quick snacks. They want unique food outlets, not just traditional fine dining. We’re talking about tableside s’mores, gourmet street tacos and sushi bars.”
Faust says Omni’s restaurants now offer more high-boys (raised tables), which encourage people to interact and collaborate on business projects as well as socially.
For Millennials, luxury hotels don’t really need to put the newspaper under the guest room door. According to a Pew Research study, 59 percent of Millennials get their news from the Internet and only 24 percent from newspapers.
Millennials are impressed by an eclectic collection of amenities that includes green initiatives, hip artwork, media room/libraries near the lobby, upgraded turndown service with healthy snacks and small surprise gifts, infinity swimming pools, lazy rivers, fully equipped fitness centers, discounted parking for hybrid vehicles, bicycle availability and art and cooking classes. PageBreak
Terrific Technology
Millennials love to stay connected and they have a higher level of dependence on electronics and technology. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, they want to tweet, post and watch video with no glitches.
“It’s not just about providing complimentary Internet service, that’s a given,” says Michele Wilde, director of conference services at The Breakers Palm Beach. “Most Millennials and younger guests travel with more than one electronic device and their concerns are about bandwidth and capacity.”
Whether it’s for business communication or social interaction, Millennials are enamored with luxury properties that deliver the best and most reliable technology.
“Younger meeting attendees value communication and connectivity, and it’s a given to provide strong cell and Internet service, but adding amenities like elaborate phone charging stations, cool zip drives for sharing information, designer tablet cases and personalized apps for the conference go a long way,” says Lindsay McConnell, associate director of events for The Little Nell, a 92-room, Five-Diamond hotel in Aspen, Colo. “They also love functional and beautiful office supplies, such as leather folders and notebooks, and personalized items with an engraved name is another way to impress younger attendees with individualized attention.”
For Millennials, desktop computers are about as enticing as typewriters are to Baby Boomers.
Parisi says younger guests want tablets for Internet surfing.
“Millennials have multiple devices and they’re looking for more bandwidth to run applications such as Skype,” Parisi says.
Younger travelers want guest rooms that have numerous outlets so they can plug in all of their electronic devices, mobile phones and wall-mounted lamps as part of the headboard so they can sit on the bed and work or socialize electronically. PageBreak
Everything Efficient
One of the things Millennials value is time. After all, they’ve been dubbed by many as the “instant gratification generation.”
“They don’t like to wait, and other guests of all ages now want services delivered in a quicker and more efficient manner,” Wilde says. “The check-in process has to be fast and hassle-free. We have cross-trained our entire concierge and guest services staff to assist in check-in because an easier arrival experience is a must for guests who want to start enjoying the property as soon as possible.”
Millennials want to save time in all aspects of the hotel experience. Recently, Melia hotels responded by displaying Wi-Fi passwords on the television in guest rooms so guests wouldn’t have take up take searching for the information.
Experiential Luxury
As the Baby Boomers flock to the spa and golf course, Millennials are more interested in experiential activities.
“Younger destination-meeting attendees don’t want tours and instead seek experiences,” says Karen Shackman, founder of Shackman Associates New York, a New York City DMC specializing in corporate meetings and destination incentive travel.
Eco-activities such as kayaking, canoeing, bike riding and hiking are popular pastimes for Millennials who want to temporarily detox from their electronic gadgets.
“At a luxury property, Millennials are expecting great on-site activities that make the hotel experience more valuable and meaningful,” Parisi says.
Edward Schmidt Jr., an Orlando-based writer, loves coffee bars, craft beers and Instagram, even though he’s not a Millennial.
