White Lodging Services

Morgan Mosteller

Who is this new consumer?

The post-pandemic travel landscape has resulted in an increase in “bleisure” travel where the lines between business and leisure travel have become increasingly blurred. This may come in the form of a corporate traveler that used to fly in for a threeday midweek work trip now bringing their partner and child along for the journey. It could come in the form of a remote worker needing a break from the home office and choosing to work their 9-5 where they can explore a new place when they’re off the clock. Whatever the specific circumstances, what used to be a simple, transactional stay is now viewed as a dual-purpose, experiential opportunity. As the consumer landscape changes, it will be interesting to see how hotel design and even hotel flags and brands begin to shift in pipeline projects. In the meantime, it will be the successful hoteliers that are able to adapt their current offerings to better accommodate these new travelers.

" The post-pandemic travel landscape has resulted in an increase in “bleisure” travel where the lines between business and leisure travel have become increasingly blurred "

Ways this consumer may increase TREVPAR?

One of the key characteristics of a “bleisure” traveler is their increased length of stay – a boon to hoteliers looking to bounce back from covid occupancy lows especially when coupled with this new operational efficiency. Hotel teams may find that these returning guests also have new needs from an amenity, bed type, or even menu standpoint – taking the time to understand these changes can make a major difference in keeping revenue in-house. Whether they are in the hotel for more days per week or in the hotels more hours per day, these small changes can result in significant opportunities to drive incremental revenue.

How can Revenue Managers capitalize on this change?

In light of some of these changes, hotel teams and revenue leaders may find it beneficial to dive into some of their current trends compared to previous years to help identify areas of opportunity. Monitoring the use of Long Term Stay rates and tracking the Length of Stay on Special Corporate rates as it compares to previous years. If there are substantial differences, it may speak to an opportunity to adjust strategy. Similarly, it may be important to understand the change in room type or room amenity demand – have these needs changed in such a way that there is now pricing opportunity? A final comparison that may help hotel teams better target these guests would be by focusing on the distribution channels. Anytime there is a shift in the demand landscape, there may be a way that we can capitalize on new channel demand or better optimize channel strategies.