Skift Take
What's the most overused travel marketing buzzword out there? Our vote goes to "experience" (although "authentic" isn't too far behind.) Love it, or love to hate it, "experience" isn't not going away anytime soon. Here's why.
In hospitality, what defines one hotel from the next, or one brand from the next, especially when we seem to be traveling at a time when everything is "local" and "authentic," and there are literally hundreds of brands — soft, not-soft, and otherwise — for every different kind of "lifestyle" out there?
It all boils down to experience, but not just any kind of experience.
For hotel brands looking to differentiate themselves from their competitors, whether those competitors are online travel agencies, other hotels, or home-sharing platforms, it's about owning the experiences they can deliver to their guests 24/7.
This means continuously building a relationship with customers through loyalty programs, making it easy for them to book direct, and effectively becoming their very first choice of a place to spend the night, every time they need a place to stay — it's about the entire customer journey, or experience.
Delivering Experiences Beyond the Room
One part of that journey, in particular, where brands can really make a difference in impacting consumer loyalty and perceptions is when the guest is on site. Having a concierge who can offer helpful suggestions for things to do during their stays or offering beautifully produced in-room destination guides is a start.
But to really have a competitive edge, hospitality providers need to facilitate branded experiences that extend beyond the walls of the room or property, suggests a new report from brand consultancy L2.
"Amid growing commoditization of amenities offere
