THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLDWIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
Nathan Greenhalgh , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : ngreenhalgh @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , New Media Editor 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Queenie Burns , Vice President , Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : qburns @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORs Mary Gostelow , Adam Kirby , Oriana Lerner
PUBLIsHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVIsORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman and CEO , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Eric Danziger President and CEO , Wyndham Hotel Group , Parsippany , New Jersey
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President , the Americas , IHG , Atlanta
Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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Welcoming the
Jias of the World
Everyone in the hotel business loves to talk about capturing the new Millennial consumer — those still under 20 , mostly . The topic is on the agenda of absolutely every industry event . However , there is an industry faction that scoffs at the notion of placing so much attention on this group that has had such a hard time finding jobs and don ’ t have disposal income . The Millennials are Airbnb ’ s customers , perhaps more so than the hotel industry ’ s , or so some believe .
While I may agree to a degree with the latter ’ s premise , let me say this Baby Boomer shares a lot of the same characteristics and hotel preferences as many Millennials . So , when Arne Sorenson spoke to some 2,000 investors and developers at January ’ s ALIS conference in Los Angeles about Marriott ’ s view of its generation-next guest , those of you who turned a deaf ear missed out on something I deem truly important to better understand almost all of your potential guests . Nearly everyone ’ s hotel needs and wants are changing , and Arne ’ s description of virtual Millennial Jia was spot-on for a multitude of reasons .
Jia ( meaning beautiful in Chinese ) just turned 30 and is a Chinese business traveler ( and no , I am not limiting this to Chinese guests ) who just scored a job with her fifth employer . She doesn ’ t see a big difference between business and leisure travel , is not loyal to a brand , uses a car-sharing service , buys the freshest and cheapest groceries online , already outspends Boomers , has delayed some big life decisions and wants to control her hotel experience with a hotel partner that won ’ t get in her way . She doesn ’ t care too much
if the room is small , but she doesn ’ t want a list of in-house workout classes given at specific times . Jia expects Wi-Fi speed to knock her socks off , and she needs a bar with a spark . She also wants a hotel company whose culture is rooted in ethical practices and a purpose beyond revenues .
In fact , Jia wants a Tweetworthy experience to share with her friends , and that ’ s exactly what hoteliers need her to do . If they can deliver value not otherwise offered , then — and only then — maybe they can earn loyal guests .
Jia also prefers to work directly with hotels to book because she likes the little extras not available through OTAs . And when she does book , Jia likes to see her options in visual , accurate detail .
How do hotel companies pay for these extras ? They drop landlines from guestrooms , and ditch the bathtubs and extra chairs in the corners no one ever sits in . Arne finished by saying Jia is the customer we all want . And she will be won over by those that deliver real value to her , brands that are authentic and true to their values , that respect her privacy and are most eager to grow and change right alongside her . Are you ready for Jia ?
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com March 2014 HOTELs 5