The Ritz-Carlton hotel brand in partnership with Shanghai-based business and financial news outlet JIEMIAN has released a Next-Gen Luxury Travel Preferences Report containing the results of a study of the travel preferences of younger (Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha) Chinese luxury travelers.
Next-Gen guests contributed more than 50% of bookings at the Ritz-Carlton hotels in Nanjing and Shenzhen over the past 18 months.
The report identifies 6 areas in which luxury hotels need to improve, innovate and adapt their services for Next-Gen travelers:
- Focus on experiences, not sightseeing. Next-Gen travelers expect exceptional services and amenities as a given, but beyond that want to connect in-depth with local people and cultures.
- Integrate localized experiences with fun, educational activities and great cuisines. Next-Gen guests - often traveling with a multi-generational party - want to experience a destination through its food and activities close to nature, both within the hotel and nearby.
- Provide a balance of high-tech and high-touch. Next-Gen guests expect to experience tech-enabled travel, but also place high value on personal encounters and face-to-face communication.
- Provide guests with local experiences without leaving the hotel. This concept relates to the rise of remote working and combined business/leisure "Bleisure" travel.
- Provide "see and be seen" spaces and "value-added" experiences within the hotel. Examples could include events like art exhibitions, and activities like yoga sessions.
- Demonstrate how your hotel contributes to sustainability of travel. Next-Gen travelers want to see eco-friendly and holistic practices: resource conservation, support for personal wellbeing, reduced carbon footprint.
Since hotels in North America and Europe are unlikely to be seeing large numbers of visitors from China in the immediate future, there's an opportunity here to get Next-Gen-friendly amenities into place for 2022, 2023 and beyond.
Remember than in 2019, Chinese international travelers far outspent those of any other country:
