#Trending This Week - Residential Accommodations, Wearable Devices, Contrast Bathing, Text Messaging, And Transformational Travel

Issue 176 • February 6, 2024

The travel and hospitality industries have lots of moving parts and it’s hard to keep up with everything going on. So here’s a quick roundup of the latest trends this week. More and more people are traveling as extended families or in larger groups and want more space than a hotel room can offer. Many hotels are opting to add residential brands to their collection in order to better compete with Airbnbs. Have you lost your keycard one too many times or been frustrated when it deactivates itself because it was in the same pocket as your cell phone? Many travel companies from cruise lines to resorts are now moving toward wearable devices, which are much like a watch and let you access private elevators, your room, and provide valuable customer data to help hotels better personalize your experience. The wellness movement is taking a new turn — well actually incorporating centuries-old practices including contrast bathing as a key wellness ritual. One hotel chain is investing more on text messaging, believing it is the best way to ensure more expedient guest service. And some brands are trying to figure out how to make travel more transformative so the experiences a guest has enjoyed on their vacation can be taken back home with them to enjoy long after their holiday is over. Check it all out in our two-minute read below.

Residential-Style Accommodations Are In Demand

The rise in multi-generational trips, extended-family vacations, and friend getaways has led to a bigger appetite for more space when booking accommodations. To answer the call, new brands in the hotel sphere are continuing to pop up with a focus on residential-style accommodations. These new luxury-minded brands are set to compete in a space which has historically been dominated by Airbnb. Read more in The Points Guy here.

Wearable Devices Are The Future Of Hospitality

The plastic keycard to unlock your hotel room or cruise cabin door is so yesterday. And being able to unlock the guestroom door from your phone is also not the most innovative trend these days. So what’s in? Wearable devices. These bands which resemble watches are becoming the latest technology innovation not just on cruise lines but in some hotels and resorts as well. Not only is it easier to carry around than a keycard, but it offers the hotel or cruise line a way to deliver a more personalized experience. Read more in Travel Weekly here.

“Contrast Bathing” Is The Latest Wellness Trend

The practice of “contrast bathing” — alternating between intense heat and intense cold — is the latest trend in wellness. Though it might sound slightly uncomfortable, subjecting yourself to extreme temperature shifts has physical and psychological benefits. People usually cycle through hot saunas and cold water three times. The first time you go into cold water, you cleanse the dirt from your body. The second time, following another 15 minutes in the sauna, you get rid of worries. The third time you go in, you start to build something new. Read more in National Geographic here.

Text Messaging For Optimal Guest Service In Hotels

One major US hotel brand is going all in on text messaging. Hilton is significantly expanding its mobile messaging platform, unveiling plans to bring text-messaging capabilities to more than 7,000 Hilton properties globally by the end of this year. According to Hilton, text messaging better helps hotel teams "answer questions, address concerns, arrange experiences and more," with the immediate, two-way exchange allowing them to respond more quickly to common queries like requests for late checkout, extra pillows, or a replacement toothbrush. Read more in Travel Weekly here.

Moving From Experiential To Transformational Travel

In a world where hotels, cruise lines, and tour operators keep looking for the next big thing, all indicators seem to be pointing toward “transformational travel.” Transformative experiences are "time well-invested." In transformational travel, the "product" is the customer. And for transformation to occur, the supplier of a transformative experience must carefully think through how to create an experience that sticks. Read more in Travel Weekly here.