MADRID--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A major new report, ‘Hotels 2020: Beyond Segmentation’, reveals the emerging behaviors and demands of the future hotel guest and what this means for the types of hotels we will see in the future.
The report looks forward to a time where augmented reality, responsive guest environments and robots may become commonplace as guests demand greater personalization, increased comfort and more innovative experiences. At the same time the report also highlights the new hotel models that may emerge, including invitation-only hotels, hotels co-branded with luxury brands, white-label hotels and ‘catch-all’ hotel chains that will deliver one-star budget hotels through to six-star luxury properties.
The report was developed by Fast Future Research, an independent futures research and consultancy firm, and commissioned by Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry.
Key findings
1. Guests will be able to tailor every aspect of their hotel experience
Traditional customer segmentation is likely to die and will instead be replaced by personalized service spectrums and a ‘total service model’. This will mean that guests of the future will be able to tailor every aspect of their experience including technology, hotel services, the bedroom, the journey, pricing and communications. Over two thirds of survey respondents agreed that by 2020 traveler motivations will become increasingly fragmented and diverse and harder to segment into clearly definable customer groupings.
2. The hotel of the future will be more personal, connected and responsive
With changing guest requirements it is likely we will start to see hotels that cater for multiple needs and demands. We will start to see innovations such as intelligent furniture, personalized nutrition and responsive technologies that understand cognitive functions. More than nine out of ten people questioned felt that by 2020 hotel guests will expect their stay to be personalized around a set of choices they make at the time of booking or prior to arrival.
3. Horizon scanning, anticipation and rapid implementation will become some of the hallmarks of successful hotel groups
The report details the characteristics of successful hotel chains of the future including the ability to spot opportunities and threats, develop effective strategies and implement change programs quickly. The report highlights the central role of technology systems in helping hotel groups stay ahead and meet the needs of tomorrow’s guest.
Rohit Talwar, Chief Executive of Fast Future Research said: “What we see is a shift from neatly defined customer segments to a more fragmented set of service spectrums that will demand hotels act in a way that is guest-focused personal, connected and informed. The right technology will be an increasingly important weapon in delivering on guest expectations and securing brand differentiation.”
