✎. 酒店业人士已经深入探讨过千禧一代，这一代紧继X一代，现在已成长为巨大的的消费阶层。然而，很少有人关注会对酒店业造成巨大冲击的Z一代。Z一代，出生于1996-2010年之间,他们大多还在上学。但就数量而言，相比千禧年的老大哥老大姐，他们极有可能会产生更大的影响。你的酒店准备好了迎接他们了吗？
✎. Z一代诞生于更加谨慎和不确定的世界，他们不爱奢侈品，自立更生，充满理想主义，更加注重个人体验而不是产品本地，对酒店业来说满足他们的需求是个不小的挑战。同时他们热爱一切高科技，注重酒店设施，所以酒店设施跟上时代是必须的。但是Z一代注意力超级不集中，这意味着酒店要提供视觉设备。Z一代还有一个特点就是爱拍照，爱分享，但是又注重个人隐私，所以公共区域的打造一定要费点心思。作为年轻的一代，Z一代业不能免俗地喜欢追着自家爱豆跑，所以请影视明星到您的酒店入住必然稳赚不输。
✎. 酒店业给如何做才能赢得Z一代的“芳心”呢？当然是理解他。以“知音人”的身份全程跟进，满足需求是必须的，更重要的是让他们参与进来，以生产者的名义而不是仅仅作为消费者。同时确保酒店使用简洁有力易懂的语言最好是视频照片等视觉语言，这绝对会受到Z一代的追捧。
✎. 身为酒店人，如果您还是毫无思路，不要着急，M Beta和万豪早已给出范例。他们提供了四个主题，可供您打开思路，启发灵感。主题一：让酒店融入当地文化；主题二：公共区域如何打造；主题三：像追求恋人一样追随；主题四：体贴入微式关怀，最新高科技产品。
敬请关注本期WHA行业国际周报，带你剖析，Z一代究竟在想什么？
How Gen Z are Affecting the Hospitality Industry
Z一代是如何影响着酒店业的？
The hotel industry has seen a great deal of discussion on Millennials, the generation that follows Gen X and now comprises the biggest consumer segment. Yet little attention has been paid to the next big wave of demographic change that’s about to hit the hospitality industry: Generation Z. Today, they’re mostly still at school, being born between 1996 and 2010. But in terms of numbers, they promise to have an even bigger impact than their older Millennial siblings. Is your hotel prepared?
What Has Shaped Generation Z?
什么造就了Z一代？
Generation Z is already transforming the world of young-adult travel. Whereas the Millennial generation enjoyed the relative prosperity of the 1990’s before having their worldview shattered by life-changing events in the 2000s - such as the September 11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, and the global financial crisis – Generation Z was born into a much more wary and uncertain world. In this regard, Generation Z shares a lot in common with their great-grandparents, “the Greatest Generation”, also known as the Silent Generation, who were born in the first quarter of the 20th century and experienced the Great Depression and World War Two.
They are cautious, risk-averse and attracted by stability and security. They value privacy, and unlike the more extrovert Millennials, they share less of their lives on social media. They’ve grown up in a world with Facebook, Twitter and ever-present mobile phones, so they’ve learned to be more guarded about what they make public. In Europe, they’ve experienced both the border-free travel and freedom of an “ever-closer union”, as well as the sudden about-face of Brexit and new border controls. They’ve witnessed the election of the USA’s first African-American president, as well as the turmoil and shock of the 2016 election. And all of this before most of them are even old enough to get a job.
Self-Reliance Presents Challenges to Hoteliers
独立自主的性格给酒店经营者带来了挑战
After growing up in such a world, what sort of travellers are Generation Z? One of the most significant differences may be the strong do-it-yourself culture within this generation. With YouTube providing step-by-step instructions for doing just about anything, members of this generation are comfortable with taking things into their own hands. They are even more entrepreneurial than the highly individualist Millennials, with one survey finding that 55 per cent of Generation Z expressing the desire to start their own business. With this combination of big ambitions and self-reliance, hotels will be challenged to cater to such highly individual needs.
For hoteliers, that means providing Generation Z guests with open channels For expressing their opinions (guest feedback, reviews,Surveys) and contributing their own content to the hotel website. It may also mean providing more flexibility in room design and furnishings,"Enabling guests from this generation to design their space" to suit them. Self - catering may also for hotel operators, which means to provide Z generation guest open channels to express their opinions (guest feedback, reviews, research), and the contribution of their content to the hotel website.It may also mean more flexibility in room design and furnishings, allowing this generation of guests to "design their space" to accommodate them.The importance of self-catering may also increase for this group, who may prefer to prepare their own meals rather than choose from a limited menu.Perhaps hoteliers need to re-imagine their hotels as an open arena where generation Z guests can create their own experiences.
Frugal But Idealistic
节俭又理想主义
Communicating with Generation Z is a challenge. Growing up in an environment that is immensely information-rich, this group assimilates information faster and has a shorter attention span than any previous generation. To reach this fast-moving target group, hotels will need to use video to blend storytelling and memorable visual messages. Booking systems will need to be swift, personalised and effortless. Even more than Millennials, Generation Z are multi-device multi-taskers, and will expect to be able to move between platforms and devices without skipping a beat. Research has shown that this generation are abandoning Facebook, and instead prefer the privacy of apps such as Snapchat. This platform has proven challenging for many hotels, but creative use of geofilters and location-based features may offer hoteliers a cost-effective way of attracting Generation Z guests.
Short Attention Span, Long-Term Effects
注意力集中时间短
Communicating with Generation Z is a challenge. Growing up in an environment that is immensely information-rich, this group assimilates information faster and has a shorter attention span than any previous generation. To reach this fast-moving target group, hotels will need to use video to blend storytelling and memorable visual messages. Booking systems will need to be swift, personalised and effortless. Even more than Millennials, Generation Z are multi-device multi-taskers, and will expect to be able to move between platforms and devices without skipping a beat. Research has shown that this generation are abandoning Facebook, and instead prefer the privacy of apps such as Snapchat. This platform has proven challenging for many hotels, but creative use of geofilters and location-based features may offer hoteliers a cost-effective way of attracting Generation Z guests.
At the same time, Generation Z puts greater emphasis on face-to-face communication over e-mail or instant messaging, so hotels may need to invest more in getting flesh-and-blood employees involved in the booking process. Pricing needs to be carefully managed: as conservative spenders, the Generation Z traveller will react negatively to any sense of being charged for services they don’t wish to use. The current trend of highly individualized pricing strategies is thus set to continue, with Generation Z guests expecting the freedom to curate the hotel experience they seek.
• Technology 科技
Generation Z has grown up with technology at their fingertips. While millennials are still adapting, this generation literally knows how to unlock phones with ease, go onto a website and watch their favourite videos. They are mostly on mobile. Therefore, adapting your travel website to mobile technology is of utmost importance. In fact, generation Z often research hotels and destinations on behalf of their parents and they would not prefer browsing through websites that are not mobile-adaptable or slow.
• Sharing is caring 注重分享
Along with mobile technology, this generation loves to share their experience with their friends on social media. Hotels tend to not capitalize on this and do not have many social media campaigns for their guests. This is a huge mistake as making the hotel environment interactive with the younger generation can increase your brand awareness.
• In-Hotel Amenities 酒店设施
There was once a hotel that provided small-sized bathroom slippers for the younger guests. Now, weather the kids use these or not, there is no doubt that this gesture left a mark on the guest. They went onto mention this on TripAdvisor. Is your hotel well-equipped for Generation Z? Do you serve the type of food they like or the type of activities they like? It is prudent to conduct research on the same.
• Use more visuals 更多视觉设备
This generation, more than even, prefer being marketed through visuals rather than text. As such, use nice photos and videos of your hotel for online platforms. The attention span of a gen z child is less than 8 seconds, so make the most of the attention that you have.
• Use influencers 名人效应
Social media influencers play a huge role in convincing generation Z to stay in a hotel. Having some influential ones come to your hotel and having them post on social media could really be beneficial.
Tips for reaching Gen Z
如何赢得Z一代的心
• Prove to Gen Z that you understand and embrace social media and you will gain their respect instantly.
• Target their FOMO through social media by showing them what they are missing by not visiting your property.
• Be part of every step of your guests’ journey. From initial contact, Instagram competitions during their stay, and follow up through an eTrigger campaign or social media after they leave.
• Feed that entrepreneurial hunger by engaging Gen Z through user generated content, or photo contests, and empower them with control through options. If you treat them as producers rather than consumers, you will earn their approval quickly.
• Use visuals to communicate with them, as visuals are what resonates the most with these sharp guests.
• Feed that entrepreneurial hunger by engaging Gen Z through user generated content, or photo contests, and empower them with control through options. If you treat them as producers rather than consumers, you will earn their approval quickly.
• Lastly, speak a language they understand. Keep things short and easy to read, as this generation is more likely to absorb shorter text. Communicating frequently and in shorter bursts will do the trick.
• They have grown up in a time where technology is taking enormous leaps and innovation is at its strongest.
Last year, Marriott Hotels began preparing for this shift in demographics. The chain debuted M Beta at Charlotte Marriott City Center, an innovative, real-time hotel designed for rapid prototyping of amenities and services, (re)designing every touch point with emerging technologies and new ideas. “The demographic of our guests is changing, and it’s very important to stay in dialogue with them,” Marriott Managing Director Mike Dearing told Fast Company.
Below, we’ve highlighted some of the themes and insights explored by M Beta and other Marriott initiatives to give you a baseline of these shifting perspectives.
这里，我们重点介绍了M Beta和万豪所探讨的一些主题和见解，希望能让打开思路，给您带来灵感。
THEME #1: WHERE AM I?
主题一：融入我所在
As noted by an article on Fast Company, Gen Z is particularly keen to explore their temporary community through the lens of a local perspective, taking in the signature experiences of whatever region they’re visiting. While boutique hotels and the Airbnb mindset understand the importance of localized experiences, it forces larger chains to break their homogenous environment.
For Marriott, that meant finding a balance between a demand for variety and a need for brand consistency. Take dining, for instance. Rather than pitting a generic hotel restaurant against a burgeoning local culinary scene, local chefs have set up a permanent restaurant inside the hotel, bringing local flavours (literally and metaphorically) to the Charlotte property. Down the hallway, a local business owner runs a wine bar, allowing guests to sample and shop for regional wines on the spot. And in lieu of the franchised Starbucks, and an independent cafe in the lobby encourages guests to mingle with other visitors.
THEME #2: COMMUNAL EXPERIENCES
主题二：公共区域打造经验
The same Fast Company article points out that Millennials appreciate places like the gym or the cafe as social hubs. In Marriott’s Charlotte property, guests can sign up for boutique studio classes taught by local instructors, inviting people to connect through group fitness. Or they can opt for in-room exercise by streaming fitness videos from celebrity trainers. The same independent cafe and surrounding lounge spaces are also designed with human-centric connectivity in mind: comfy chairs and casual nooks where people can work, relax, or mingle with fellow travellers.
THEME #3: COURTSHIP
主题三：像追求恋人一样追随
Hotel brands are more than equipped to get in front of Gen Z’s queue of visual content, as long as they’re holding entertainment and storytelling in high esteem. Just look at the success of the Marriott Content Studio’s short film sequel, Two Bellmen Two, on the heels of the pilot film which garnered 5.1 million views.
Better yet? Invite Gen Z consumers to be a part of the creative process, says Melanie Shreffler, Senior Insights Director at Cassandra Reports. Back in 2014, Marriott launched the industry’s first marketing campaign on Snapchat, experimenting with a three-month “takeover” by four social media influencers, letting Snapchat fans choose where they should go and garnered 24.1 million views.
THEME #4: HIGH TOUCH AND HI-TECH
主题四：体贴入微与高科技
Technology plays a big part in the overall customer journey, but it’s more than just offering guests free wifi and integrated USB ports. The advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) means smart TVs, digital room keys, and robot butlers are contributing to new-age hotel services. And mobile messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and custom mobile loyalty programs make it easier for brands like Hyatt, Starwood, and Marriott, respectively, to build seamless travel experiences.
But at the end of the day, when Gen Z settles into their tech-equipped hotel bed for the night, their zest for travel is fueled by experiences more than products. Yet for this generation, it’s apparent they rely on on thoughtful products or services to facilitate meaningful experiences, proving that the integration of the two worlds is now more important than ever.
