Skift Take
We've rarely seen a luxury hotel collection do a better job at defining its target customer. We're also especially interested in the IBM Watson integration in LHW's website to better personalize the travel research journey.
Editor's Note: Following our previous CEO interview series in online travel, hospitality, and destinations, Skift has launched a new series, this time focused on Chief Marketing Officers.
To better understand the big marketing challenges facing travel brands in an age when consumers are in control, Skift's What Keeps CMOs Up at Night will talk with the leading voices in global marketing from across all the industry's sectors.
These interviews with leaders of hotels, airlines, tourism boards, digital players, agents, tour operators and more will explore both shared and unique challenges they are facing, where they get insights, and how they best leverage digital insights to make smarter decisions.
This is the latest interview in the series.
The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) is a collection of 375 hotels in 75 countries that's attempting to differentiate itself in a crowded luxury lifestyle market by focusing on technology and psychographic data to better curate the individual guest experience.
Last year, LHW contracted the MMGY Global marketing firm to survey 1,500 luxury travelers between the ages of 25 to 64 in the U.S., Germany and Japan to understand what's driving purchasing behavior among experienced, upscale travelers.
Based on the results of that survey, LHW identified its target guest as the "Curious Traveler," who relies on his or her own devices, and relishes that process, to explore a destination in a spontaneous way.
According to the survey, "Curious Travelers are taking almost eight leisure trips a year, and while American travelers take the least amount of vacation time compared to other markets in this study, they are the most likely to visit new destinations when they travel overseas…. The Curious Traveler has a strong sense of self. They trust their judgment as much, if not more, than the opinions of others."
The top-line data from the survey shows:
79% of Curious Travelers feel that travel is an essential part of life
30% of Curious Travelers intend to take more trips in 2016 versus 12% who plan to take fewer
78% express interest in exploring a destination’s hidden gems
54% look for unique and different travel adventures
Only 32% seek the “hottest/trendiest” spots
The Curious Traveler will spend 7% more on hotel accommodations per night this year than they did in 2015 ($419 per night/$390 per night)
We spoke with Shannon Knapp, CMO of Leading Hotels Worldwide, to understa
