Travel is booming, finally. After over a year spent cooped up indoors – building makeshift offices and obsessing over TikTok trends – vaccinated travelers are sweeping the hospitality industry off its feet. As “revenge travel” continues within safe parameters, it’s important that hotels, vacation rentals and tourist spots quickly adapt to 2021’s top travel tips and trends.
Top Vacation Trends
We’ve all seen the headlines on the ongoing rental car shortage, crowded TSA checkpoints, and record National Park visitors. According to an Allianz Partners study, American travelers will spend $153.7 billion on trips in 2021. So, how are they vacationing?
Extended Stay
With many slated for a return to office after Labor Day, and most embracing a more flexible work schedule, summer travelers are embracing the flexibility of remote work with longer vacations. Instead of scheduling a trip around paid time off, employees can combine work and relaxation from any destination.
The Great Outdoors
After so much time spent indoors, trip planners are soaking in the fresh-air and roaring vistas of national parks. In fact, the popular tourist spots are facing so much traffic that Congress is even negotiating a bill that will allocate money to increase public transportation options.
Road Trips
Playing a role in the soaring demand for rental cars, the great American road trip is skyrocketing in popularity. With current travel restrictions and air travel safety concerns, many adventurers are ditching the plane and embarking on a road-trip that exceeds 250 miles.
Multi-micro-cation
Making up for a year of lost travel time, young and millennial travelers are leading the multi-micro-cation trend, meaning they’re taking multiple short vacations instead of extending for one or two longer adventures. Shorter trips are generally more affordable than large vacation packages and easy to take last-minute with work-from-anywhere flexibility.
Travel Tips and Tricks
The past year-and-a-half was full of change, from increasing safety measures to working virtually and embracing technology. The number one travel tip we can offer the hospitality industry: do not hesitate to adapt.
Stay Flexible
Just as working from home feels flexible, traveling should feel the same, from last-minute bookings to late cancellations. Take the audience trading out luxury vacation packages for adventurous road trips. According to Priceline, nine in 10 people have taken a road trip since March 2020, and 75% have taken four or more. Ditching schedules and embracing flexibility, these travelers are most likely to pack up and hit the road without a plan. Offering discounts for locals and regional visitors, creating car rental and house car packages, and creating more private transportation options are all ways to embrace what travelers most want.
Similarly, Allianz Partners found that 46% of millennials planned to take multiple shorter trips this summer. Many are even scrambling for quick, last-minute getaways before returning to the office for the first time in over a year. But amidst safety concerns, trip planners want flexibility and quality to go hand-in-hand. With Edge Retreats, travelers get paired with a personal concierge to book a luxury villa vacation package that starts as soon as the next day.
Explore New Models
Despite some offices opening after Labor Day, remote work is here to stay with hybrid schedules and added flexibility. Now that we know many jobs can be performed through messaging platforms and video chat, the extended-stay model will likely grow in popularity among travelers of all ages. In May, AirDNA found short-term rental demand was 17.4 percent higher than in May 2019. Startups like Sonder and Mint House are leading the charge, attracting investors and bringing the comfort of home to any destination.
Even major hotel brands are pushing to expand extended-stay in their portfolios. Data from STR indicates U.S. hotel occupancy was just 44% in 2020, but 60.5% in the extended-stay sector. Sonesta International Hotels Corporation announced in December its new extended-stay concept, Sonesta Simply Suites, which launched with a collection of 61 locations. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced in July a partnership with Candlewood Suites, unveiling a dual-branded extended-stay prototype. The model is growing quickly with demand.
Flexibility is the Future
From week-long road trips to month-long vacations, “revenge travel” is certainly strong. And while the industry is booming, we’re certain these trends will continue to change as COVID-19 continues to have a profound impact on travel restrictions. The most successful hospitality companies will adapt and remain flexible to the needs of future trip planners.
