This week in hospitality, the industry reported on Millennial spend. Instagram’s new app Hyperlapse could be huge for hospitality. And, related to world travel news, here’s how hotels should handle the Ebola scare.
Millennial Spend Outpaces Other Generational Demographics
Millennials spent 20% more on travel over last year, surpassing the 12% average year-over-year gain of all U.S. households, according to the “2014 Portrait of American travelers,” released by MMGY Global, a travel and hospitality marketing firm. This surge is the largest year-over-year spike in spending since pre-Recession years, according to the report.
Steve Cohen, VP of insights for MMGY, said the demands millennials have are different from previous generations, and they are spending more money on vacations. “They’ve spent the second-most on vacations in the last 12 months among the four generational categories, and they’re looking to spend the second most among the four categories in the next 12 months,” he said. The mature generation took the No. 1 slot in both time frames.
CLICK HERE to read more about the MMGY report.
Hyperlapse
Hotels Magazine reported on how various hotel brands are experimenting with Hyperlapse, Instagram’s new video app. Built on a foundation of innovative stabilization technology, Hyperlapse gives users the ability to capture time-lapse videos in motion without the shakiness inherent in amateur productions.
The results? None of the hotel brands appear to be knocking Hyperlapse out of the park just yet. This represents a great opportunity for hotels to experiment and really become breakout performers on the new app.
CLICK HERE to read more about the brands who have experimented with Hyperlapse.
World travel news: Ebola’s effect on travel
The first case of Ebola discovered on US soil this week has hoteliers wondering how the outbreak will affect travel, according to Hotel News Now. The general public is uneasy, mostly as a result of rumors of the virus’s graphic symptoms and reportedly high fatality rates.
We’ve previously talked about how hoteliers can serve as a source of information on social media during periods of crisis or unrest to gain trust with their guests and prospective guests (read our posts about the Boston Marathon bombing and the coup d’etat in Thailand for more information).
In summary, all world travel news sources seem to be saying that outside of west Africa, the risk of Ebola infection is very very low. But, information is your greatest asset. Here are a few resources that will help you keep up to date with the latest, so you can communicate with guests via email or social media, should you believe it is necessary:
- Follow the Twitter feeds for Reuters Africa and the CDC for the latest news.
- Here’s the World Health Organization’s Ebola FAQ
(The WHO reiterated its position this week that the risk of Ebola transmission during air travel is very low.) - Here are the highlights of a live Twitter Q&A with the CDC.
Major point: The Ebola virus can be killed with alcohol-based hand sanitizer and household bleach. - NPR published an educational article about Ebola that explains the term R0: “No, Seriously, How Contagious is Ebola?”
(The answer is, not very.)