Hospitality

The on-demand economy is on the rise, but what does on-demand mean, exactly? In this report, a look at the nature of a technology-driven sea change in consumer behavior and the business models emerging to meet it in the travel industry.

With technology innovation and a thriving online distribution landscape, vacation rental owners are taking their businesses to new heights. Homeowners and property managers are more astute in digital marketing, by developing their own websites and managing calendars on billion-dollar distribution sites. Technology is revolutionizing the vacation rental at a multitude of touchpoints.

Hotels are promoting and engaging their local communities and partnering with a growing array of local independent businesses in an effort to create more options for travelers seeking “authentic” experiences.

As consumers increasingly embrace wearables, those in the travel and hospitality industry are turning to this hardware to reach and engage their audience, and improve the customer experience. From technology that lets guests unlock their rooms to boarding passes displayed on your wrist, wearables are becoming an important part of the traveler’s journey.

Staying fit and eating well on the road is important to a growing number of travelers, causing airports, hotels and spas to create better options for those seeking to integrate healthy habits into their journeys.

Driven by consumer demand for connectivity and convenience, hotels that prioritize technology are banking on in-room features that provide a return on innovation.

The winter travel market has been behind the curve compared to the broader travel market, but with recent investments in back-end technology and the embrace of a dynamic pricing marketplace, it is poised to leapfrog and nurture innovations that will enhance the quality of the experience.

Over the last decade, the world’s most innovative hotels and hotel brands have developed as portals into their destinations’ local communities. To communicate that experience to guests, hotels are developing sophisticated online content marketing that positions the hotel as a character in a traveler’s journey.

How do top executives and mobile gurus in travel view the dramatic shift toward mobile that’s under way and what does it mean for lookers, bookers and the bottom line? This Skift Trends Report traces some of the seminal shifts of 2014, from the dramatic rise in mobile bookings to same-day hotel-booking trends and marketing trends that impact mobile development.

With a the growing amount of technology platforms to reach brands, social media has become an important space for customer service. In order to keep up with the popularity of these platforms and increasing amount of social interactions, brands are adapting by structuring their teams and departments to deal with volumes of inquiries in a personalized way.

Female business travelers make up a large share of the Business Travel Market, controlling 60% of U.S. wealth and influencing 85% purchasing decisions. They are high-tech, connected, and social and represent 58% of online sales. To get maintain their competitive edge, travel brands must start focusing their campaigns to better target women.

The hotel meetings and events industry is going through a radical evolution due to new communication technologies, Millennial psychographics, and a rethinking of the overall purpose and value. Pop culture events like TED and SXSW are also changing the perspective of what’s possible at conferences, but are meeting planners and hospitality executives jumping on these trends fast enough?