With two years of pent-up demand, vacations are back with a vengeance. How will this impact hotels?
While phrases like “the new normal” or “essential workers” have now become commonplace, the de rigueur expression you may have already heard is “revenge travel.” It sounds ominous, and you may be wondering: What does this mean? How does it impact me? Why should I care? The truth is, if you have any role in the hospitality industry, this phase of travel is a pot of gold!
What is Revenge Travel?
The phrase “revenge travel” in its simplest form refers to choosing to travel right now. The revenge in this expression refers to many people unable to travel or forced to postpone vacations during the COVID era, who now are taking revenge on a time when many could not travel.
Because travel was restricted and many hotels were either forced to close temporarily or shutter for good, people began to see travel in a different way.
Before 2020, people had a tendency to defer starting a diet, learning a new hobby, furthering their education, and even travel, thinking “there’s always tomorrow.” One blessing we universally learned during the last two years is the value of time, people, and experiences. Quality of life, nurturing relationships, and accumulating experiences and memories are more important now than ever.
How will Revenge Travel impact me?
Although “revenge” can be viewed as a negative word, for those in guest services and hospitality, this should sound so sweet!
For hoteliers and their staff, revenge travel means the summer rush is going to be busier than ever. Regardless of costs, people are more motivated to travel and explore. Allianz Partners found that travel to Europe from the U.S. is likely to significantly increase 600% over last year. Data collected from Vacasa found 3 in 5 Americans are planning a summer getaway. “The pandemic made people realize you can’t take travel for granted,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA.
Not to mention, the rise in remote work will also increase revenge travel, as remote workers are itching for a change of scenery. According to Ladders projections, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022, and remote opportunities will continue to increase through 2023.
Revenge travel is the key to a thriving hotel!
Why should you care about Revenge Travel?
Bottom line, it will bring you more business. Nothing makes a hotelier happier than a full hotel. However, a full hotel with limited resources, equipment, and staff can quickly become disastrous.
At the end of the day, we know you want your guests to have a memorable and incredible experience at your hotel and you need your staff to be ready and able to provide that to guests. Employee satisfaction and staff who don’t feel overwhelmed are key components of excellent guest services. An easy place to begin immediately is preparing your hotel to accommodate revenge travelers by leveraging technology to enhance the experience for both your staff and guests.
For example, providing tablets in each room can help limit calls to staff requesting more towels, food and drinks, information about the pool, etc. Enabling guests to browse a menu of services, enhancements, amenities, and other hotel offerings and then make requests with the touch of a finger, streamlines the ticketing process for staff and excites hotel guests with the digital offerings available to them on a familiar device.
Investing in technology is an investment in your hotel’s efficiency and guest satisfaction. Digital requests placed through an app on a tablet or phone can help your staff manage the chaos and provide pristine service to the revenge traveler!
As revenge travel continues to rise, make sure your hotel is equipped with the right staff, the right resources, and the right technology to best manage a thriving hotel and take advantage of this travel trend.
