Singapore Tourism Board has announced some assistance to the industry through various grants, tax incentives and resources.
They seems to be obsessed with millennial travellers. In this article is suggests that “with more technologically savvy and discerning “millennial travellers”, hotels have to cater to new and distinctive travel preferences, such as a need for speed, efficiency, convenience and connectivity, as well as a penchant for unique experiences”.
Hang on just one minute!
Why this obsession with Millennials? Take a look at the STB statistics and it is clear that the older (55+) tourist segment is as large, if not larger than the Millennials age group (published STB stats reveal visitors age only from certain country blocks). Furthermore, with more time on their hands and deeper pockets, the older traveller represents a far greater immediate opportunity.
This article (written by a couple of apparent millennials, surprise, surprise) goes on “Meeting this challenge will require a multi-pronged approach. Hotel redesign, advocated by the STB and industry associations, is one of the ways to innovate. Hoteliers throughout the world are revisiting their business concepts and models, and rediscovering the benefits of “select-service” versus full-service hotels to enhance customer experience and deliver more efficient services. This strategy may involve overhauling the physical layout of hotels and rolling out more technological innovations such as digital check-ins or smartphone-activated room keys”.
As the saying goes, if you design for the young, you’ll exclude the old but if you design for the old, you’ll include everyone. Yet once again, we see millennials designing a world for millennials and ignoring demographic realities.
The needs of this older segment are constantly overlooked and, with declining physical abilities, their need for specific hotel design features are more obvious and crucial than the younger groups.
When will business stop this obsession with youth and start orienting businesses around the demographic realities of our time?
