Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 - (Page 18)

18 Travel Trends IN THE details The next generation They’re picky Brand preferences differ Age and income are factors H&MM June 2, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition It’s not your father’s lodging brand anymore T By Peter C. Yesawich H&MM Columnist he lodging industry has recently embarked on a wave of new product development in pursuit of the elusive affections of the 75 million Americans we broadly deﬁne as “Millennials,” also known as Echo-Boomers (between 18 and 28 years of age in 2007) and GenXers (between 29 and 42 years of age in 2007). Many of these increasingly well-educated, socially conscious and highly mobile travelers seek lodging experiences that are more reﬂective of their lifestyle, not that of their parents. They are dilettantes interested in sampling both eclectic design and cuisine, but are not keen on spotty wireless service (which, by the way, must be free) or bed linen with a low thread count. And they are quick to try—and abandon— new lodging alternatives when standard “chain fare” just isn’t good enough. Not surprisingly, the lodging brand preferences of this robust market segment vary considerably from those of Baby Boomers (between 43 and 61 years of age in 2007). Our just-released Stop using your vacuum cleaner as CHANGES YOUR VACUUM FROM A BATTERING RAM a battering ram that dents furniture, scratches baseboards, bangs up doors and walls. And leads to bruising repair bills. Instead, tame the beast with a Soft Vac Protective Vacuum Cover. • Ends vacuum damage forever • Installs in seconds with Velcro tabs • Soft, durable cordoura fabric outside • High-density foam rubber inside • Eliminates costly repair bills • Extends vacuum cleaner life • Increases housekeeping productivity • There’s a Soft Vac model to fit any vacuum To learn more, contact your distributor, or call us at or visit INTO A GENTLE LAMB softvac.com. 800-866-7001, 2008 National Travel Monitor provides some compelling evidence of these differences: Marriott (in aggregate) reigns as the brand that is most widely preferred by all leisure travelers regardless of age (preferred by 31 percent), followed by Holiday Inn (27 percent) and Hilton (26 percent); Marriott (in aggregate) also reigns as the most widely preferred brand among older travelers, mentioned by 34 percent of all Boomers and 23 percent of all Matures (between 62 and 98 years of age in 2007); Hilton rises to the top of the list for more youthful travelers, and this is particularly true for younger Millennials (50 percent of whom cite Hilton as their preferred lodging brand); Best Western and Hampton Inn are the only other lodging brands that enjoy doubledigit preference mentions by leisure travelers: 13 percent and 10 percent respectively; Both Comfort Inn and Hyatt are preferred by 9 percent of leisure travelers, with Hyatt enjoying a clear preference among “older” Millennials (those who are approaching Boomer status); Sheraton is preferred by 8 percent of leisure travelers (signiﬁcantly higher among Boomers); Both Ramada and Days Inn are preferred by 7 percent of all leisure travelers, with Ramada enjoying signiﬁcantly greater preference among “younger” Millennials. So what about the “boutique” brands? None is large enough or sufﬁciently well known to achieve more than low single-digit preference measures. As one might expect, the lodging preferences of leisure travelers also vary by annual household income. For further information of the results of the Ypartnership/ Yankelovich 2008 National Travel Monitor, please visit the Publications section of www.ypartnership.com. hmm@questex.com Peter Yesawich is chairman and c.e.o. of Ypartnership. He can be reached at Peter.Yesawich@ypartnership.com. CIRCLE NO. 150 © 2006 SOFT VAC CORPORATION http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.softvac.com http://www.softvac.com http://www.softvac.com http://www.ypartnership.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 Contents State Programs Help Define Green Hotels AmericInn Boosts its American Presence Questex, The Bench to Host Russia Event Perspective Letter to the Editor Legally Speaking Guest Column Marketing Matters Consultant's Corner Satisfaction Trends On Finance Travel Trends Cornell Insights Energy Star Update Maintenance Doctor Management Trends Trends & Stats Finding Financing Challenges Developers Credit Crunch Still Tops List of Lawyers' Concerns Mixed-use Funding Bleak, Panelists Say Luxury Landscape Keeps Pushing Higher PTACs Events Casegoods Seating Energy Controls and Sensors Pest Control Electronic Locks Transactions Supplier News Timeshare Misconceptions Still Prevalent Awards People Ad/Edit Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

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