In this series, we spend five minutes with an industry luminary to get their thoughts on the latest trends and opportunities for the travel tech sector.
This month we speak with Michael Avni, our VP of Marketing, responsible for our global marketing strategy.
1. What do you see as the biggest challenge for the travel sector in the next few months?
It will be challenging to meet the needs of travelers looking for luxurious and empowering lodging experiences. This is relevant not only for leisure trips but also for business travel. As more and more urban hotels provide indulgence, cuisine, and a powerful community experience, benefiting both city residents and guests, hotel owners will have to expand their offerings to remain competitive.
2. What do you think will be the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 5 years?
I think that the perception of ADR (Average Daily Rate) may change, and people will start looking at the average income per room. Let’s take the commercial airline industry as an example, where the base seat price is only a part of what the passenger pays. Airlines look at the total expenses per traveler, including seat upgrades, baggage, meals, and many more.
As a result of technological changes in the hotel industry, and with data collection becoming increasingly sophisticated, they will be able to calculate not only the room rate but also all other expenses per guest, predicting how much a guest will spend, even if they have only booked a room. In addition, they will separately price services such as room cleaning, breakfast, personal training, and others.
3. Looking ahead, what do travelers have to look forward to?
We are seeing a very interesting trend of experiential travel activities taking over conventional travel motivations. Keeping off the beaten track, people are looking for exciting and authentic local experiences they couldn’t find anywhere else. They’re moving away from traditional holiday desires such as sunbathing on the beach, shopping in big cities, or sightseeing towards more thrilling and unique experiences.
As people’s needs and motivations are shifting, new and innovative tech solutions emerge to help them plan their next big adventure. Technology is constantly changing today’s travel landscape and its further development is surely something to look forward to.
