Gone are the days where a hotel is just a place to sleep. Today, guests expect the places they stay to be an engaging extension of the destination they’re visiting, a window into the local culture and way of life. A hotel stay is no longer just about relaxing. In fact, 75% of luxury consumers are likely to seek challenging situations, wanting to try and learn new things. They value curiosity, creativity, and are motivated by experiences that encourage imagination & developing new ideas.
Many luxury hotels are beginning to offer special programming, activities, and workshops as add-ons to their experience, increasing the lifetime value of each guest. Others are creating more immersive journey that position the property as a captivating destination in and of itself.
Both approaches are equally effective at creating demand, word-of-mouth, and drawing in high-value guests. Ideally, you will create a hotel that does both well! So, let’s explore what that looks like in today’s competitive landscape:
Start With a Purpose-Driven Concept
In the hospitality industry, we’re in the business of finding ways to evoke strong emotional moments for guests. Creating moments that are positively emotionally charged requires understanding what takes people off autopilot and engages them on a deeper level. Inviting them to step outside of the mundane everyday world and into a world of possibility, excitement, and curiosity.
If your intention is just to entertain your guests, it will lack depth. Ask yourself: what is the ripple effect you wish to have on your guests? This one simple yet powerful question can change the trajectory of your property for the better. And whatever the answer is, it should be at the core of your hotel’s concept, influencing every decision you make regarding spaces, amenities, activities, and packages.
Reinforce Your Concept Through Interactive Spaces
The moment a guest arrives, their journey has begun. For some guests, that might very well be plopping by the pool with a book and never getting up. But for adventurous guests that are curious about the local culture, they will go out and explore. And that exploratory spirit doesn’t just disappear when they return to your hotel. So why not bring the culture of your destination to your guests in fascinating ways throughout your property?
Curating art installations and offering fun games, these things are just the beginning. Depending on the impact you’re looking to have on guests, there are endless ways to engage guests through your space. Is your lobby just a place to check-in or get concierge advice? Is your pool just a place to enjoy an Aperol spritz? Start thinking of new ways to engage guests based on the ripple effect you’re hoping to have.
Add Value with Unique, Concept-Driven Activities
While collaborating with local partners to offer off-site tours is one way to keep people entertained, sometimes guests don’t want to leave. Or they have a 3–4-hour period in their day where it doesn’t make sense to leave. After all, when you’re paying for a stay at a beautiful property, you want to spend some time there, right?
Unfortunately, most hotels don’t offer compelling on-site activities. The offerings we see most often include picnics, tastings, hikes, yoga, massages, open-air cinema, and occasionally watersport rentals depending on the property. Oftentimes these activities lack sense-of-place and culture, as they are commonplace experiences that are typically widely available. This makes them a commodity, lower in value, and a hard sell.
What is an experience that you can host that no one else can? How can you infuse your purpose & personality into (for example) a picnic so that it stands out from all the other picnic options your guest is looking into? If you can reinforce your concept in creative ways, guests are more likely to be excited about what you have to offer, and you can command higher profits.
As you can see, your concept is your guiding light to creating more enriching, immersive experiences for your guests. This is why it’s so important to create one that evokes strong emotions and promises more than just a place to relax. If you’re interested in attracting more of these curious luxury travelers and need some extra support, consider using a tool like Reverie to help you conceptualize meaningful & interactive experiences and spaces.
