Skift Take

Want to understand millennial travel habits? The key is focusing on specific behaviors rather than trying to generalize the group based on their age.

This week we’re discussing millennials.

This much-studied traveler demographic is the focus of a new Skift report, out this week. As it turns out, more travel marketers than ever want to reach millennial travelers, but many focus on targeting the age group as a whole rather than pinpointing the specific behaviors that define their travel habits. As recent writing and discussion about the topic seems to bear out, many from across the industry appear to be reaching this same conclusion.

Separating Myth from Fact with Millennial Travelers
This past week, Skift released its newest report on the habits of millennial travelers, taking aim at some of the myths and generalizations that keep marketers from building effective strategies to reach the group. Further ammunition on this topic comes from a speech on millennials given this week by Chris Davidson, EVP of Global Strategy for MMGY. As he noted during his talk, targeting millennials based on behavior, rather than their age, is key to success. “Building a plan to specifically target Millennals, I think, is a thing of the past,” said Davidson. Read more

Expedia Doubles Down on Mobile Strategy for 2016
As Skift has noted in recent weeks, mobile is no longer a “nice to have” feature for travel brands, but rather a critical marketing channel both for consumer research and purchases. A recent interview with Expedia’s SVP and Chief Marketing Officer David Doctorow bears out the importance of mobile to the company’s marketing efforts moving forward, providing insights into the brand’s thinking about cross-device measurement, setting up internal teams for mobile and adjusting to changing traveler behaviors. Read more

Sheraton Uses Twitter to Build Goodwill With Stranded Fliers 
Twitter is already an important linchpin for airlines to handle customer service issues for passengers. But it’s not just airline brands that are seeing the value in helping out cranky fliers. This December, Sheraton is taking to Twitter to soothe the frayed nerves of airline passengers on delayed or cancelled flights, rewarding them with unexpected prizes to try and add some joy back into their holiday travel experience. The hotel chain hopes the increased awareness and goodwill generated by the campaign will help increase holiday room bookings. Read more

citizenM Hotels Executive Shares Thoughts on the Future of Hotel Tech
Many hotels struggle with questions about the right amount of technology and data to incorporate into their marketing strategy. Lennert De Jong, Commercial Director for citizenM Hotels, recently shared his thoughts on how he’s addressing such questions for his hotel brand. This interview with De Jong discusses topics including the fragmented state of hotel technology solutions and customer data collection. Read more

Kayak Partners with Routehappy to Add Amenity Details to Its Flight Searches
Ancillary product sales have become an increasingly important marketing strategy for airlines, who use extra revenue generated for everything from checked baggage to seat upgrades to boost their bottom line. Metasearch travel website Kayak appears to recognize the importance of these ancillaries to fliers and airlines alike, inking a deal this week with Routehappy to integrate details about various flight amenities into its search results. Read more

Vail Resorts Harnesses Crowdsourcing to Improve Visitor Experience
Lines and waits are a fact of life for travelers, who often find themselves waiting for access to everything from amusement park rides to customs to airplanes. More travel brands seem to be trying to address the issue, using a mix of automation and customer service. One more recent innovation to address long lines is crowdsourcing wait information from customers. Vail Resorts is now using the technique to let visitors input real-time ski lift waits into its mobile app. Read more

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Tags: content marketing, Digital Marketing

Photo credit: Industry perceptions to the contrary, not all millennial travelers are created equal. Garry Knight / Flickr

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