You are an accomplished accommodation operator. You have happy guests, great reviews, and revenue is looking good. You’re practically feeling like a hospitality superhero. But what’s that sound? Why, it’s the winds of change!
Hospitality trends should not be ignored—but you also have to measure how much and in what ways they are bound to impact your business. That way, you can determine what steps you truly need to take to keep things running smoothly and how you can get one step ahead of the competition.
But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves! Before you can take action, it’s time to dive into the importance of staying on top of what’s trending in the world of hospitality and tourism, the trends in the hospitality industry you need to keep your eye on in 2024, and how you can prepare for these changes and stay ahead of the curve.
Let’s fire up the time machine and take a trip to the future!
The Importance of Staying Ahead of the Curve in Hospitality Industry Trends
It’s been said that “you’ve got to stay ahead of the game to be able to stay in it,” and that’s definitely true when it comes to trends in hospitality.
Just think about owning a campground, for example. Sure, you can keep offering the same over-the-phone booking system and the same old paper map of the campground and keep using a clipboard and sign-out sheet for your canoes and kayaks. You could even have modernized and added online booking a few years back, but at the end of the day, you’re remaining stagnant in your business by relying on old tricks. And you know what that means? Less revenue and more missed opportunities down the road.
Let’s get into some more specific reasons to stay on top of hospitality industry trends:
- Competitive edge: Being the first to adopt or adapt to emerging trends positions a hospitality establishment as a leader, attracting customers who value modern and forward-thinking services. Innovations like the latest technology, unique guest experiences, or sustainable practices can set a business apart in a crowded market.
- Customer satisfaction: Keeping your customers happy is intricately linked to understanding and meeting evolving guest expectations. By staying on top of industry trends, hospitality businesses can identify and incorporate elements that enhance the guest experience.
- Anticipate change to future-proof the business: Staying informed about industry trends enables businesses to proactively adapt to shifting consumer behaviors, emerging technologies, and market dynamics. This foresight allows for strategic decision-making, investment in the right areas, and positioning the business to thrive in the face of future challenges, ensuring resilience and sustainability in the long run.
- Enhance operational efficiency: Industry trends often introduce technologies and practices that can significantly enhance operational efficiency. Improved efficiency not only reduces operational costs but also contributes to a seamless and enjoyable experience for both guests and staff.
We’re not just trying to frighten you with the ghost of the “hospitality future” here. Being aware and able to adapt to changing technology trends in the hospitality industry makes you and your business more agile.
Key Factors for Trends in the Hospitality Industry
When it comes to trends in hospitality, it’s not just about what’s getting the most attention on social media. Trends in the hospitality industry come from a constant need to innovate in an ever-changing market, where consumer behavior and economic, political, weather, and more can significantly affect how and why people travel. So, let’s put on our lab goggles and take a look at what’s under the metaphorical societal microscope and how that’s impacted what’s trending this year in hospitality.
Key factors affecting hospitality industry trends:
- Post-COVID-19 effects on the tourism industry: The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the landscape of the hospitality and tourism industry. The focus on health and safety has driven the adoption of contactless technologies, enhanced cleaning protocols, and flexible booking options.
- Emerging technologies: The rapid evolution of technology continues to be a key driver of change in the hospitality industry. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality transform guest experiences and boost operational efficiency.
- Collaboration and integration: Businesses are increasingly adopting technologies that facilitate seamless collaboration between different departments and systems. Integrated solutions, such as centralized property management systems (PMS) enhance communication, streamline operations, and provide a unified guest experience.
- Consumer preferences and expectations: Understanding and meeting evolving consumer preferences is critical in the hospitality sector. Adapting to changing preferences requires businesses to stay attuned to market research, guest feedback, and industry trends to tailor their services accordingly.
- Economic conditions: Hospitality businesses must be mindful of economic indicators, inflation rates, and currency fluctuations to make informed decisions about pricing strategies, marketing efforts, and overall business strategy. Economic downturns may lead to changes in consumer spending habits, with travelers becoming more price-sensitive and seeking value for money. Conversely, periods of economic growth may result in increased travel and a willingness to spend on premium experiences.
Staying on top of these key factors affecting hospitality industry trends is essential for businesses to navigate the ever-evolving landscape successfully. Adapting to post-pandemic shifts, embracing emerging technologies, fostering collaboration and integration, understanding consumer preferences, and remaining mindful of economic conditions are integral components of a strategic approach to industry trends.
8 Hospitality Trends to Implement In 2024
It’s finally time. We’ve arrived at our destination. So remove your luggage from the overhead bin, stretch your legs, and get ready to go over eight current trends in the hospitality industry to understand and implement in 2024.
The current trends in the hospitality industry we’ll be looking at today are:
- Business combined with leisure travel, a.k.a “bleisure travel”
- Sustainable travel
- Contactless check-in
- Mobile-friendly hotel experiences
- Personalized experiences
- Local-first experiences
- Pet-friendly travel and accommodation
- Health and wellness travel
Ready to begin your adventure? Let’s go!
Bleisure Travel
Traveling for business or pleasure has often been the distinction between the kinds of trips people take. But what if those two kinds of travel got together in a blender and mixed up a delicious frozen pitcher of bleisure travel? Yep—it’s exactly what you’re thinking. Bleisure travel is mixing work and play or business and leisure travel.
If you’re wondering just how popular this new kind of travel is, a whopping 89% of people intend to incorporate personal vacation time into their business trips.
We can group bleisure trips into three categories:
- Extension of business trips or group business travel by adding leisure time before or after official work engagements
- Business trips where friends and family join for a combined experience
- Trips where one or more people are working remotely from a different location than home
The last kind of bleisure travel—which some call WFA or work from anywhere, is growing in popularity. This newfound level of flexibility has given rise to a trend where people seamlessly combine work with travel. Embracing a location-independent lifestyle, many opt to explore new destinations while maintaining work responsibilities. This convergence of travel and work has not only blurred the lines between professional and personal life but has also opened doors to unique experiences and a more balanced approach to both career and leisure.
Key Takeaway: Accommodation operators need to be able to offer amenities to guests who may be taking a bleisure trip—whether that be quiet working spaces, faster internet, or more outlets in their room. Offering extras after work, like a happy hour, can also make guests appreciate the work/travel balance even more.
Sustainability
Being a better citizen of the world is no longer just about “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Nope—in 2024, sustainability is more than just an idea for most people; it’s a belief system. And when it comes to travel, sustainability stands out as a hospitality trend that’s shaping how accommodation operators need to do business.
Why is it a standout, exactly? When you consider that 90% of customers seek out sustainable features when trip planning, you can see why this is one hospitality trend you can’t ignore.
Current hospitality trends mean that guests want sustainable features like:
- Electric vehicle charging stations
- Eco-friendly toiletries (refillable dispensers versus single-use toiletries)
- Water bottle refill stations
- Robust waste diversion and recycling programs
- Energy-efficient devices and appliances (like water-saving toilets, LED lighting, and high-efficiency laundry machines)
- Programs to reduce laundry and linen changes while guests are staying
- Green transportation services or carbon-offsetting programs for transportation
- Locally sourced, in-season foods served in restaurants or available for purchase
These are just a few ideas you can bring into your campground, RV park, hotel, motel, or really any kind of accommodation and hospitality business. There may be a whole other concept we haven’t listed here—the sky is really the limit when it comes to making your business more eco-friendly and more attractive to sustainably-minded guests.
Key Takeaway: Implementing these sustainable amenity ideas reduces the environmental footprint of hospitality businesses and enhances the overall guest experience by aligning with the values of eco-conscious travelers.
Contactless Check-In
Ah, yes, the familiar lineup at the check-in desk. Not exactly a place of zen you want to start your trip with. Your kids are tired, you just want to put this heavy bag down, and everyone just wants to get into the pool to show off their best cannonballs and have some good old-fashioned fun. That’s what vacation is all about, after all.
Eliminating the friction at check-in can allow your guests to get to their vacation fun sooner. And considering 73% of participants in a recent survey expressed a preference for hotels that provide self-service technology you can’t afford to ignore this trend in the hospitality industry.
But what kind of hotel Houdini do you have to be to make that kind of check-in experience possible? With a tool like Newbook, it’s actually quite simple.
Newbook offers two features that can be used separately or together to allow for contactless check-in:
- Self-serve kiosks allow guests to check in or out, pay their balance, add extras like late check-out, and get information about the property in one convenient place.
- Key cafes are like self-serve, secure lockers that will release keys to guests using a unique access code they receive prior to their stay.
Combining these features can create a 24/7 front desk, so no matter when your guests check-in, they can quickly and easily get checked in, get their key, and get to enjoy the property!
Key Takeaway: Adding a friction-free, contactless check-in benefits all guests; many feel it’s increasingly important. Plus, it buys you back time and resources without impacting the level of service you can offer guests.
Mobile Friendliness
You may not be surprised to hear that more than 70% of travelers want to use their phones to manage their vacation stay, and that ranges from checking in and out and paying to ordering room service, adding extras, and finding out more about the place they’re staying. After all, we live in a mobile world, where we use our phones for everything from shopping to working.
Ensuring your guests can use their mobile devices as an integral part of their stay is one of the biggest hospitality trends we don’t see going away anytime soon. From the initial booking process to on-site experiences, guests rely heavily on their mobile devices for convenience and information. Hotels and campgrounds that prioritize mobile-friendly services streamline reservation processes and enhance the overall guest experience.
Key Takeaway: Whether checking in, exploring nearby attractions, or accessing amenities, integrating mobile-friendly features significantly elevates the quality of a guest’s stay, ensuring a modern and efficient hospitality experience.
Personalization
Who doesn’t like to be pampered like royalty, especially on vacation? And what makes you feel more like royalty than having a more personalized experience throughout your stay? Whether it’s a special excursion with your family, a private dining experience, or even just a late check-out, guests want to feel catered to and like they have exactly the trip they want. That’s why personalization is on our list of the biggest hospitality trends in 2024.
Using property management software like Newbook, you can use property management automation communication via SMS and email to offer promotional offers, upgrades, and booking add-ons, as well as send mid-trip surveys to make sure their trip is going seamlessly. Considering that 40% of people who travel are cool with shelling out some extra cash for a late check-out when booking their accommodations, you are not only missing out on improving your guest’s stay but also cashing in on missed revenue.
Key Takeaway: Offering personalized solutions for your guests is not only a win for their stay satisfaction but can be a revenue generation tool for you.
“We made an additional $7000 in one month by using SMS Late Check-Outs.”
– Kathleen Walsh, Advanced Outdoor Solutions
Find out how you can too!
Wellness Travel
Looking for more zen in your life? So are plenty of your potential guests! Wellness travel is all about catering to folks who want more than just a regular vacation. The global wellness tourism market was valued at a whopping $814.6 billion USD in 2022. Now, get this—it’s projected to keep growing annually at about 12% until 2030. People are really getting into the whole idea of combining their travels with health and self-care vibes.
Travelers are actively seeking places that offer amenities such as those outlined in the table below:
| Wellness Travel Amenity Category | Ideas |
|---|---|
| Spa retreats | Relaxing massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, saunas, and hot tubs. |
| Mindfulness experiences | Guided meditation classes, reiki, yin yoga classes, and other relaxing experiences. |
| Fitness-oriented getaways | Hiking trails, instructor-led fitness classes, fitness equipment available to check out, and an on-site gym. |
| Healthy, organic dining and beverage options | A juice bar, healthy meals delivered to guests’ rooms, local partnerships with agri-tourism businesses, and restaurants with organic offerings. |
This trend is shaping up to be the go-to choice for those looking to rejuvenate both their minds and bodies while exploring new destinations, and accommodation operators should consider what amenities they, or nearby partner businesses, can access for wellness-minded travelers.
You can simplify adding these extras to your guests’ stay using Newbook. Newbook allows you to seamlessly integrate all the amenities your property has to offer in the booking process, from facilities to classes and tours, and drive more revenue out of every stay.
Key Takeaway: Offering ways for your guests to recharge while they are staying with you is a kind of amenity many guests want to see and could be the reason they specifically want to stay with you.
How to Prepare for Hospitality Technology Trends
Gear up because we’re diving into the fast-paced world of hospitality technology trends and how to get ahead of the curve! In an era where innovation is king, staying on top of the latest tech trends is a game-changer for anyone in the industry.
New hospitality technology trends continue to shape the market, and we’ve got the insider scoop on how to not just keep up but stay ahead of the game with future trends in the hospitality industry.
Use the Right Property Management Software (PMS)
In the ever-evolving hospitality industry, staying ahead of the curve is paramount, and Newbook’s property management software proves invaluable. With its innovative features and user-friendly interface, Newbook allows businesses to effortlessly adapt to changing technology trends in hospitality. From seamless guest interactions and automated processes to comprehensive data analytics, the tool empowers hospitality professionals to make informed decisions and provide a top-notch experience.
Check out the table below to learn more about how Newbook can help accommodation operators face new trends in the hospitality industry.
| Key Newbook Feature for Future-Proofing | How it Works |
|---|---|
| Automated Communication | Allows for easy and fast guest communication at regular intervals – before, during, and after the stay—minus all that clunky email and SMS building and planning. Plus, easily offer late checkouts and stay extensions to drive revenue. |
| Channel Manager | Manage all your listings in one place, making it easier to have pricing consistency and avoid double booking (and the frustration that comes with it). |
| Manage Events, Facilities, and Activities | Offer your guests (and you) one place to book, manage, and customize their stay with activities, tours, and bookable facilities (think kayaks to bikes, fitness equipment to cots) with just a few taps. |
| Automated Reporting and Insights | Get a glimpse of the future with booking forecasts, revenue insights, and guest origin reports, and even get dynamic pricing so you never have to mess around with setting prices properly on all channels. |
| Self-Serve Options | Allow for 24/7 check-in and seamlessly incorporate automatic paperless check-in and check-out, a guest portal, kiosk functionality, key cafés, and SMS automation. |
By leveraging Newbook, businesses can effortlessly align themselves with the latest innovations, ensuring operational efficiency and guest satisfaction. In an era where trends shift rapidly, having a tool like Newbook at your disposal is the key to not just keeping pace with change but leading the way in providing a forward-thinking and memorable hospitality experience.
Stay Ahead of Tourism Trends
Staying on top of global trends in tourism and hospitality isn’t always easy, but you know it’s worth it in the long run for your business when it comes to guest satisfaction and generating increased revenue. Plus, you know it will help your business grow and build a lasting reputation as a place where guests can come back to again and again and always feel like their needs are being fulfilled—even as they change over time.
Newbook can help you stay ahead of the curve and adapt to changing hospitality trends. Let us show you how by booking a demo with Newbook today.
