Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has recently published its second study on the motivations of luxury travelers. Based on their own experience, they show what connects locals and guests alike to a destination and, the importance guests place on how hotels engage with their community. To do so, the study explores 5 criteria :, Experience, Colleague Connections, Sustainability, Family Memories, and Community.
Focus
Today, luxury is about feelings, uniqueness and memories and therefore luxury travelling is not about having a large bedroom with a nice view but enjoying meaningful and personal experiences.
Sharon Cohen (Vice President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) “Travelers are looking for personal enrichment experiences with a lasting impact that extends beyond their journey.“
Travelers want to find a hotel that will match their interests, needs and values. Fairmont’s research shows that 2-in-3 luxury travelers (65%) consider it important to have experiences that are not accessible to everyone.
Indeed, a recent research from YouGov demonstrates that tourists are likely to get involved in trying local foods (70%), going to popular local destinations that tourists do not know about (65%) , gaining historical perspective about the area (60%), trying an activity/event that is unique to the area (59%) and interacting with locals (48%).
The need of personnal experience is linked to their quest for collecting stories and souvenirs. Millenials are at the heart of this need. With social media, sharing your story is part of travelling. As a matter of fact, 90% of millennials are willing to pay more for an exclusive experience vs. 79% of travelers aged 55+.
It is also linked to family memories mostly because a traditional family is different than a couple of years ago. More than two-thirds of luxury travelers (69%) have enjoyed a luxury hotel specifically to create family memories and traditions, celebrate anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and special family trips. This is also why travelers like coming back to an hotel they’re familiar with or travel in their own country rather than going far away. 74% percent of luxury travelers prefer returning to hotels they are familiar with, so they know what kind of property and service they will find .
Because of this change, hotels have to adapt their service. Most of travelers choose their hotel depending on the experience options they have and the staff they engage. The desire for “the human factor” is higher than ever. 90% of luxury travelers agree that knowing they’ll find friendly and engaging staff influences their choice of hotel.
Indeed, people are seeking for a staff that will provide personal insights on the area. Employing locals is considered an important factor, with 81% of luxury travelers valuing staff from the destination.
While providing unique experiences and outstanding service is essential, a hotel’s commitment to sustainable tourism best practices is an increasingly essential aspect for success. 78% of luxury travelers considering it important that their hotel has environmentally sustainable practices. Growing tourism is considered as a major problem and travelers are willing to make efforts to reduce pollution and preserve the places and countries that attract them.
According to this new study, it is clear that luxury travel is about creating a community through experience, memories, culture and family values.
Upload the study : https://www.fairmont.com/promo/luxuryreports/luxury-insights-reports/pdfs/gateway-to-home.pdf
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