One of the lessons we should all take from the pandemic is that things change, sometimes faster than we’d like or expect.
We’ve seen that happen numerous times as we continue to slog our way through the recovery. Local, state and federal health and safety regulations. Labor shortages and highly publicized unionization efforts. Conference organizers have moved from virtual to hybrid and some even back to in-person.
Leisure travel is one area that has seen a lot of changes. First, it came back faster and in a larger amount that anyone expected or was prepared for. Secondly, along with taking trips for a vacation, some people working from home used their flexibility to stay at hotels just to get out of the house. While hoteliers want more people to return to their workplaces as that will help restart business transient demand and large group meetings, they also hope to keep some portion of that workplace flexibility for bleisure travel.
Many Americans actually found themselves with more time and in better financial standing during the pandemic due to furloughs or layoffs and the subsequent enhanced unemployment benefits, the Paycheck Protection Program to keep employees working, direct stimulus payments, student loan freezes, eviction moratoriums and more.
We keep hearing about this pent-up demand for travel, and we see it from all the trips people took in 2020 and 2021, especially during the summers. One of those aforementioned changes in leisure travel is the type of trip they took, how they traveled and in what type of accommodation they stayed.
Before the holidays, Expedia released its 2022 Travel Trends Report. Among the results, Expedia's survey found 23% of respondents will seek out “off-the-beaten-track experiences and destinations.” What does that mean? Any number of things to different people, but with nearly a quarter of the respondents wanting experiences like this, that’s too many to let go without trying to capture some of that. I can’t imagine that figure getting smaller over time.
Consider this story from the New York Times back in June about the popularity of recreational vehicles. The article states that the RV Industry Association reported RV ownership in North America grew by 26% over the last decade, with more than 54,000 RVs shipped to dealers by March. At the time, the total ownership numbers amounted to 11.2 million.
Speaking from a personal experience, my family and I tried out a cabin trip this last summer. It did not go well, and we ended up in a hotel by the second night. While we might not be the right fit for that type of cabin, that doesn’t mean we won’t try again with a different type of cabin or a treehouse or something like that.
People feel like they have lost months, if not years, of their lives to this pandemic, so they’re going to want to do something to make up for lost time.
Some hotel companies saw this coming a while ago and have adapted to meet it somewhat through home-sharing platforms, all-inclusive offerings or partnerships with those who cater to this segment. Others are still watching and evaluating it. Others just want to stick to their lanes and rely on traditional types of leisure demand.
It’s likely a growing segment, and hotel offerings will certainly meet the needs of some of these travelers, but unless companies experiment a little, much of it will be lost to other types of accommodations. If there was any time to experiment with new models, new offerings or new partnerships, this is likely it.
You can reach me at bwroten@hotelnewsnow.com and @HNN_Bryan.
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