THE TECHNOLOGY MILLENNIAL TRAVELLERS
GENERATION GAMES
As the millennial generation infiltrates the work place, Linda Fox finds out how the habits of digital natives might impact business travel behaviour
MILLENNIALS: that young and demanding generation that wants all its technology to be fast, intuitive and with a great user experience. If not, it moves on to the next thing. For the corporate travel world,
already a fairly complex business model, millennials make things even harder as they look at the leisure market and expect to see the same user-friendly experience adopted in the corporate world. The
problem for corporates and the middle men is that they need such developments wrapped up with the necessary procedures, processes and degrees of control.
of the US population and will soon overtake baby boomers in numbers. The study also reveals that
of this segment, those who travel tend to be wealthier and more educated than the rest of the group. In addition, a good percentage are married with young families, contrary to the smartphone wielding, all-sharing teens and twenty-somethings they are often branded as. One of the most surprising findings of the study is that when it comes to holiday accommo- dation, owner-direct services such as Airbnb come bottom of the
“One of the most surprising findings is that when it comes to holiday accommodation, owner-direct services such as Airbnb come bottom of the list”
An interesting study, Portrait of
the US Millennial Traveler, has been published by consultancy Resonance. While it predominantly covers leisure travel, it still has relevance for the business travel market because of the blurring of the lines we're witnessing. At the very least what catches on in the leisure sector will filter through to the business world. The study has a decent sample
size and tells us that the millennial group (those currently aged 18-34) does not fit any stereotype. This is hardly surprising given that it's anyone from school-leavers to young families. However, what is interesting is that millennials make up a quarter
list. About 40 per cent say they use them but it is the first choice for only about 11 per cent. Airbnb has been knocking at the business travel door in recent months and a number of travel management companies are considering ways to integrate the accommodation so that the traveller at least has the choice. Many in the space believe
that the more traditional corporate world will be forced to find ways round the risk and security issues associated with such providers. In a recent Techcrunch article, Dan Ruch, founder of Rocketrip, which rewards
travellers for smarter business travel booking, says the sharing economy is on the verge of disrupting the corporate world. It's not all bad, however, as
Ruch says travel managers and business travellers stand to benefit in terms of savings from the increased competition with hoteliers having to compete on price with newer entrants. For now though, the majority of millennials, 58 per cent, still prefer full service hotels and Hilton and Marriott emerge as the favourites. Further findings from the study which might resonate in corporate travel include the need for constant connectivity. It is part of a wider trend showing that technology in general is more deeply integrated in the trips of millennial travellers. The report says they do just about everything on their smart- phones, with 36 per cent saying they post reviews hourly or daily – this compares with 16 per cent of all travellers. While this brings its own set of challenges, TMCs are already taking steps to harness some of the opportunities the devices offer in terms of looking after travellers across the entire process, from before and during the trip, to the post-trip experience.
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 81
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