Airbnb's strategy boils down to this: Staying relatable to the typical 26-year-old could give the company an edge over rivals who often woo older travelers.
Credit card members are flying and eating out like never before, driven by Millennial and Gen Z's propensity to travel. Hotels are lagging airlines in terms of growth.
Gen Z is poised to become the future of travel. So it's time to separate the hype from the reality. It's also time for hoteliers to level up their design and marketing games.
The Four Seasons is in a fierce competition to attract the increasingly lucrative number of young travelers. So it's touting how its staff have made stays at its hotels unforgettable in an attempt to give it a leg up on its rivals.
Retaining its focus on short-term rentals would probably be the largest contributor to any competitive moat that Airbnb has. Neither of its two largest rivals has that luxury.
Millennials now surpass Boomers as the largest sector of the U.S. population, giving rise to a new class of “anywhere travelers.” This group has a strong passion for experiences that taking them to less obvious destinations. These habits, in their own way a new form of balancing overtourism, will put new destinations in focus.
The American Express Travel website and mobile experience won't win user experience awards. But it may have something better for cardmembers — private fares, other negotiated deals, perks and points redemption.