After the Covid challenges for around two years, traveling resumed at record-breaking levels in 2022, and hotels worldwide especially in the US and Western Europe relished the benefits. During Covid, businesses were facing a labor crisis and rising costs. Post Covid these losses are covered and hotels can see a  bright future, you may be wondering what the future of hotels holds.

To learn more, keep reading this article.

Long-term trends will continue to accelerate and evolve in 2023 due to considerable changes in travelers’ needs and expectations, with a strong emphasis on visitor demands. Let’s take a look!

Hotels Trends in 2023

• Travel Demands may Increase in 2023

Early market signs suggest that, despite rising expenses, the demand for travel will probably be high in 2023. Travelers from the US and Western Europe still have a lot on their minds regarding traveling. In fact, according to most recent US market statistics, the number of nights reserved in the best hotels in Bakersfield is much more than it was in 2019. This indicates that the travel industry may see a rise this year and hotels can earn good profit.

We believe that tourists will either choose all-inclusive vacations where they have complete control over their spending, or they will choose extremely basic travel arrangements. The opportunity to sell basic rooms and upsell add-ons before and during visitors’ stay or to offer all-inclusive vacation packages could be substantial for hotels.

• Sustainable Travel is Important

According to research, 83% of international travelers believe that sustainable travel is essential. Additionally, 73% of tourists said they would be more likely to choose an accommodation that had adopted sustainability measures.

To assist customers, businesses, and groups in making wiser travel choices, best Hotels of the World introduced sustainability awards. In 2023, we expect that more people will choose environmentally, socially, and economically responsible forms of transportation.

• Use Automation to Improve Guest Experience

      Increased demand for travel coupled with staffing shortages has compelled hotels to come up with innovative solutions to reduce the pressure. It improves the visitor’s experience during their whole journey. In  2023, this pattern is most likely to persist along with a total overhaul of the guest experience.  

The immediate connection and empathy with clients have been greatly reduced over time by laborious administrative operations. In fact, it has been found that the staff members are unable to develop a connection with guests as they are busy with their spreadsheets and meetings most times. With the use of automation, hotels will place a higher priority on automating more administrative tasks while working to educate current employees in customer-focused skills.

• An Increase in ADR will Combat Rising Cost

ADR is probably going to keep increasing in 2023, as the majority of hoteliers questioned anticipated raising ADR this year. Future price increases are more likely to be caused by inflation and increased costs than by sluggish demand. More than ever, hotel owners are focused on cutting costs. For instance, they may choose to encourage sustainability by turning off turndown service or by leaving portions of their hotels empty for extended periods.

• Rise of Leisure Blended Business Travelers

Business and Pleasure are two different terms. But nowadays business travelers travel with a mix of these two. Yes, the modern business traveler doesn’t think twice about balancing work and pleasure. In particular, younger generations who are rapidly entering the workforce are embracing this trend.

According to a poll by the best hotels in Bakersfield, California – seven out of every ten business travelers between the age of 25 and 30 desired to prolong their business trips for quick getaways. The conference attendees and those attending external and sales meetings were most likely to blend business with pleasure.

• Say Goodbye to Plastic Keys

  Welcome the new digitally encrypted key that is stored on a specific hotel app on a visitor’s smartphone or tablet. Keyless technology, which is a high-end technology, was previously solely used by major hotels. However, both large and small hotels are already embracing this new technology.

• Chatbots

Digital technology known as chatbots responds intelligently to human interaction by translating client inquiries and delivering the required details. You don’t have to worry about your personnel being awake to answer a guest’s question at three in the morning when they seek clarification from your hotel staff. Assisting your guests with 24/7 individualized customer service and assistance throughout their booking journey, the chatbot quickly communicates with them and responds to their inquiries. Furthermore, this technology greatly reduced the workload for your customer service team.

• Personalized Experience

In 2023 and beyond, personalization and customization will continue to be popular. Hotel visitors always reserve a room at hotels that offer individualized packages, including customized notes, cuisines, hotel experiences, in-room services, and other amenities. To give their guests a customized experience, hoteliers must come up with fresh and inventive solutions.  

• Boutique Hotels

People are yearning more and more for a singular experience that cannot be duplicated in a world where we can get anything we want with the click of a button. This entails booking unique lodging that conveys a sense of place and history when traveling. Boutique hotels frequently offer a lot of character and charm because they are housed in old buildings that have been turned into hotels.

• Direct Bookings

At the beginning of this year, we anticipated that 2023 will be the year ever for direct booking. We had no idea that hotel direct reservations and stays would increase by 50% over the previous greatest year (2019).

Many hoteliers are giving their direct channel top priority to lower commissions. The next stage will be to sustain the position with more direct reservations. Since visitors are still contacting one another directly, hotels have the chance to turn these queries into more direct business for their establishments.

Conclusion

These are a few trends that are expected in 2023. Hoteliers’ agenda for the upcoming year should be an investment in automation. This will ease the staff’s work so that they focus on other customer-centric skills.

You can write about your expectations from the hotel industry in 2023 in the comments below.