4 Hotel Trends to Watch in 2020
Picture it: The year is 2010 and the hotel industry is recovering from the recession. Hotel brands were just launching their first Facebook pages. There was no mention of Instagram. And online booking was nowhere as seamless as it is today.
What a difference a decade makes.
These days not only are hotel brands at the forefront of social media, online bookings account for more the majority of guest reservations.
Moving forward here are some of the top hotel trends to watch in 2020:
Technology Advancements
Tech doesn’t stop for anyone. And the same is true for the hotel industry. In 2020, hotels will continue to incorporate more technology into their operations and facilities. That includes everything from facial recognition to virtual reality and smart hotel rooms. Hilton’s forging the way with their high-tech connected rooms. Guests can stream their favorite shows through Netflix, YouTube and more. In addition, guests can control the room temperature, lighting and manage their reservation through the Hilton Honors app. Hilton currently has more than 1,800 Connected Rooms and plans to roll out the technology to tens of thousands of rooms in hundreds more hotels across the U.S.
Sustainability
The hotel industry has been embracing sustainability for the last few years. So there’s no surprise here that sustainability would continue to be a trend in the industry in 2020. Increasingly travelers are concerned with their environmental practices and carbon footprint. That concern has gone beyond their home into their travel practices. In 2020, you’ll see even more hotels embarking on green campaigns like reducing water use, eliminating plastics like room keys, and giving guests an option to opt-out new linens each day. Marriott recently announced its plans to reduce food waste by 50% at all its properties by 2025.
Google Travel
This summer Google unveiled some pretty nice features helping people plan travel. The Google Travel portal includes extensive flight and hotel searches - many with Google guaranteed pricing. The portal helps you determine if you’re paying too much for your flights with its comparison tool. When you book through the portal it automatically adds your itineraries and reservation information to your calendar. Google already took a majority of the online booking share in 2019, we foresee them making an even bigger impact in 2020. Hotel brands can increase their visibility by paying close attention to the way their brand is presented via the Google My Business profile tool ensuring hotel listings are up to date, amenities are featured correctly and provide all the other essential information a guest might need to know.
Modular Hotel Construction
In the Fall of 2020 Marriott is poised to open the doors of the world’s tallest modular hotel. It’s a sign of the times. The AC Hotel will be 168-rooms and 26-stories tall. It’s a sign of the times. Hoteliers are increasingly turning to modular hotel construction. Labor and construction costs, temperature control, and speed in construction are among the advantages, according to developers. Modular construction can cut anywhere from six to eight months off a project. Modular construction includes prefabricated rooms that are finished on the inside and outside and stacked on top of each other.
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