The Guest Feedback A-Z Guide For Hotels: Part IV

After part I, II and III of our Guest Feedback A-Z Guide, we have now reached the bottom of the alphabet and in our final part of this blog series, we’ll talk about relevant industry concepts between travel technology and generation Z. Take a look for quick and easy definitions and supporting content, that can help you get into the depths of hospitality and guest feedback, for a better understanding of it and a more successful business.

T

Travel Technology = Technology has a huge impact in the travel and hospitality industry and nowadays, it is pretty much impossible to operate in this field without relying on tech-based systems and operations. For hotels, travel technology ranges from software such as PMS, CRM, to OTAs and guest feedback platforms, AI and voice-activated devices. In the recent years, emerging technologies have also been adopted by hospitality, since it brings a world of possibilities and they add value to the overall guest journey, as well as ease internal hotel operations. Travel tech is constantly evolving and changing and for the year of 2018, here are the tech trends that are predicted to have the largest impact in the industry.

U

UGC = Short for user-generated content, this term is mostly used when referring to a website’s search engine optimization (SEO). As we previously defined it in our eBook, SEO is a methodology of strategies used to increase the number of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine. SEO enables unpaid/organic visibility and UGC counts as a vital part of the equation. UGC refers to any type of content (text, photos, videos, reviews, testimonials, blog posts, tweets, and everything in between) that is created and released in the online world by unpaid contributors. To put things simply, we can say that user-generated content is what happens when users promote and advertise a brand rather than the brand itself.

V

Voice Messaging = New technology developments have now allowed for communications between hotel and guests to rely not only on face-to-face interactions, phone calls or emails but also on voice-based channels and devices. This means that users can send messages, questions or inquiries in an easy and quick way, by using their voice, which is recorded and catered by a smart device. This is also referred to as a virtual assistant and a great example of one is Amazon Echo’s “Alexa”. For hospitality, voice messaging brings a world of possibilities, from enabling staff to communicate with each other faster, to offering a new and more remarkable experience to hotel guests. Read more about voice messaging and what it can do to help your hotel business here.

W

Widgets = Widgets can be defined as small applications with limited functionality that can be installed and executed within a web page by an end user. Widgets are meant to provide extra pieces of useful information, in a more visual and attention-grabbing way than plain text. For example, through the TrustYou guest feedback platform, users can integrate widgets on their website, such as the hotel’s TrustScore or the Meta-Review. In this way, potential guests can receive details about the hotel’s score and reputation, based on feedback from previous guests, straight from the beginning of their journey and he has the power to influence their booking decision. It’s a way of keeping users on the website, of displaying a positive reputation and of saving travelers’ time, through an effective, easy to implement and visually appealing way.

X

(generation) X = Between two larger demographics, baby boomers, and millennials, generation X accounts for 25% of the U.S population and it has been determined that most members of this faction are accomplished in their careers and have families and children. This is the reason why, when it comes to their travel habits, gen X’ers prefer family vacations, mostly close to home. Although they are financially stable, they prefer not to spend too much on their trips and they value experiences most of all. Also, generation X cares about hotel convenience, price, and quality. Not being extremely tech-savvy, they are relatively easy to cater to.

Y

(generation) Y = Commonly known as millennials, they represent the largest cohort in history. Forbes referred to millennials as the most important consumer generation for the travel industry. They are characterized by their fascination with technology, social media, everything new and digital. They also value experiences more than anything and personalization matters a lot to them. Millennials are very active in the online world and they base the majority of their decisions on information found on the internet. They are also willing to spend a large amount of money on their travels and vacations, as long as they imply new experiences and adventures. Hotels all over the world are striving to adjust their strategies to fit the needs and expectations of millennials and here are a few tips on how a hotel’s reputation can determine influence this generations’ booking decision.

Z

(generation) Z = We reached the very end of the alphabet, with a brand new generation of consumers. Gen Z’ers represent the demographic following millennials and they were born between the mid-‘90s and mid-2000. What differentiates generation Z from the ones before is the fact that the members of this particular demographic were raised in a technological era and are extremely comfortable using technology and social media. As travelers, they are harder to impress, they see themselves as not only consumers but also as creators, they want to be personally involved and generate content and they also more financially cautious than millennials. We explored more insights about gen Z’ers in our blog post: What Comes After Millennials – Is Your Hotel Ready For Gen Z?

If you want the full Guest Feedback A-Z Guide For Hotels, you can download it for free here.