Addressing Three of the Most Important Trends in Hospitality
As we enter the back half of 2021, we’ve identified three trends that have been growing in popularity for years, but have become even more crucial because of the events of the last 18 months.
Trend #1: Health and Wellness
While the pandemic has put an extra emphasis on health and wellness, this trend was becoming increasingly important long before 2020. Looking at the numbers, the Wellness travel industry has grown to over a trillion dollar market. Additionally, wellness travelers on average spend 53% more than typical travelers on international travel, and a whopping 163% more on domestic travel. With this kind of money involved, it’s no wonder why every major hotel group has launched a wellness focused brand.
So what exactly is a wellness hotel?
For many, the first thing that comes to mind are properties that focus on providing amenities such as a quality fitness center, healthy dining options, social spaces and a commitment to sustainable practices. But there is another element of wellness that predates the pandemic but has become increasingly important - “Hotel Hygiene”. While less talked about, hotel hygiene is essential for properties looking to tap into the multi-trillion dollar wellness industry.
This is where a product like UV Station fits in so perfectly. Its modern design and feature set makes it a natural fit for wellness brands looking to incorporate more hotel hygiene products into their property.
Trend #2: Phone at the Center
It’s no secret that we use our mobile phones for just about everything. As such, it makes the most sense for hoteliers to optimize their digital engagement strategy to leverage guests' mobile devices as much as possible. This is especially true when you consider that engaging guests through their phone can increase loyalty by as much as 40%. Successful digital engagement strategies will put guests phone at the center, allowing them to access a range of services like keyless entry, digital concierges and more.
UV Station is the ultimate product to complement a hotels digital engagement strategy, by keeping phones clean, charged and right at the center - hoteliers can maximize our reliance on mobile devices.
Trend #3: Wireless Charging
We’ve been speaking on the importance of wireless charging since our inception in early 2018. Since then, it’s only become more and more clear that the future of charging, and arguably the present, is wireless. Let’s look at the facts:
Over 90% of phones today use wireless charging
Wireless charging has an agreed upon standard (i.e. Qi). Most other charging methods are quickly changing, and puts hotels at risk of needing to replace them when it becomes obsolete. This is exactly what happened when the Apple 30-pin adapter was replaced by the lighting cable. Since the Qi wireless charging standard does not rely on a cable or connector, there’s very little risk of this kind of disruption. When you offer Qi to your guests they need only bring their phone - and not worry about having brought the right cable.
Qi is more convenient than wired charging methods, especially for those on the go. Why do you think cars keep adding them to the center console? Same goes for hotels. Instead of having to fumble around for a power cord, guests simply need to place their device on the Qi stand and get a charge.
On a more speculative note, there have been rumors swirling from many top analysts about Apples’ plans to remove the charging port completely - effectively making wireless charging the only way to keep the new iPhones powered up. It’s still too early to know for certain, but it is clear that wireless charging is the safest charging method to invest in.
Once again, UV Station is the embodiment of this trend. By offering a one-of-a-kind stand up QI wireless charger, in addition to including USB ports, hoteliers can future proof their hotel while ensuring legacy devices can still charge.
Conclusion
The three trends listed above aren’t a result of the Pandemic, as they were important long before we were all locked down. However, it’s clear they have become even more crucial that ever. As such, we encourage all hoteliers to take a serious look at what products make the most sense for now and the future.
To learn more, download the UV Station Whitepaper