Commissioned by Amadeus, ‘Hotels 2020: Beyond Segmentation’ reveals the spectrum of choices and preferences of future guests and what this means for hotels in an era of extreme personalization and global change
A major new report, ‘Hotels 2020: Beyond Segmentation’ (http://www.amadeus.com/hotelit/beyond-segmentation.html), reveals the emerging behaviors and demands of the future hotel guest and what this means for the types of hotels we will see in the future.
Published today, the report looks forward to a time where augmented reality, responsive guest environments and robots may become commonplace as guests demand greater personalization, increased comfort and more innovative experiences. At the same time the report also highlights the new hotel models that may emerge, including invitation-only hotels, hotels co-branded with luxury brands, white-label hotels and ‘catch-all’ hotel chains that will deliver one-star budget hotels through to six-star luxury properties.
The report was developed by Fast Future Research, an independent futures research and consultancy firm, and commissioned by Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry.
Key findings
1. Guests will be able to tailor every aspect of their hotel experience
Traditional customer segmentation is likely to die and will instead be replaced by personalized service spectrums and a ‘total service model’. This will mean that guests of the future will be able to tailor every aspect of their experience including technology, hotel services, the bedroom, the journey, pricing and communications. Over two thirds of survey respondents agreed that by 2020 traveler motivations will become increasingly fragmented and diverse and harder to segment into clearly definable customer groupings.
2. The hotel of the future will be more personal, connected and responsive
With changing guest requirements it is likely we will start to see hotels that cater for multiple needs and demands. We will start to see innovations such as intelligent furniture, personalized nutrition and responsive technologies that understand cognitive functions. More than nine out of ten people questioned felt that by 2020 hotel guests will expect their stay to be personalized around a set of choices they make at the time of booking or prior to arrival.
3. Horizon scanning, anticipation and rapid implementation will become some of the hallmarks of successful hotel groups
The report details the characteristics of successful hotel chains of the future including the ability to spot opportunities and threats, develop effective strategies and implement change programs quickly. The report highlights the central role of technology systems in helping hotel groups stay ahead and meet the needs of tomorrow’s guest.
Vic Pynn, Executive Vice President and head of Hotel IT, Amadeus Americas, said: “This report delivers a compelling picture of the hotel of the future and how evolving guest preferences will impact hotel chains over the next decade. One thing is certain: the traditional view of how the hotel industry segments guests will need to evolve. We anticipate an ever-growing demand for personalization in all aspects of a guest’s hotel stay. Intelligent and responsive technology will be critical in bringing this personalization to life. Amadeus is committed to helping our customers maximize their technology to transform their business and capitalize on the opportunities ahead.”
Rohit Talwar, Chief Executive of Fast Future Research said: “What we see is a shift from neatly defined customer segments to a more fragmented set of service spectrums that will demand hotels act in a way that is guest-focused personal, connected and informed. The right technology will be an increasingly important weapon in delivering on guest expectations and securing brand differentiation.”
To coincide with the launch of the report, Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, announces the launch of Amadeus Hotel Platform, a centralized above-property solution that will transform the way hotels do business. Built around one comprehensive database, and available as a Software as a Service model (SaaS) it combines central reservation, property management and global distribution systems into one fully integrated platform. Offering a single and real-time view of the entire business, Amadeus Hotel Platform allows hoteliers to deliver innovative and new guest services, generate additional revenues and also quickly react to market changes as new trends, behaviors and demands emerge.
The study contains both quantitative and qualitative data and draws on desk research, expert interviews and a global survey on future strategies and business models for the sector. The survey was conducted with 600 respondents from around the world, of whom 42 percent work in the travel industry.
Amadeus is a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry.
Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail, ferries, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and individual travellers).
The group operates a transaction-based business model and processed more than 670 million billable travel transactions in 2009.
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