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As an Airbnb host, it’s important to anticipate your guests’ needs and expectations. But what do you really know about them?
As you may have noticed, your biggest audience nowadays is indisputably composed of Millennials and Gen Z travellers. Millennials have overtaken baby-boomers to become the largest generation ever and the population who travels the most. But they are being slowly nudged ahead by Gen Zers who will comprise 2 percent of the global population of 7.7 billion in 2019.
Don’t be fooled by their age: just because they just turned 18 doesn’t mean you can neglect them! Even if they’re the youngest consumer generation, Gen Zers are now entering the workforce and they have the interest, independence, and means to travel!
Who are they?
Key findings on both generations showed that:
- Gen Zers are even more influenced by social media than Millennials: they are heavily driven by social media during the trip inspiration and planning phases
- Generation Zers travellers want adventure, while millennials want comfort
- Millennials are more likely to be influenced by advertising than Gen Zers
- Gen Zers dedicate a higher budget to flights – a majority say they work and save to finance travel. They tend to search for affordable accommodation on site.
- The number 1 activity that Gen Zers like to do when traveling is eating out, partying is less important and came in at a distant sixth place in the list
- As a large portion of Gen Zers are college student, price is the key factor in their decision-making, they are highly attracted by special offers and incentives
How to attract them?
#1 Give priority to WiFi
Leaving your guests without a good connection means putting them out of their comfort zone. If you want to attract them, they better not read reviews mentioning slow speeds or connection issues! Offer good and reliable Wifi if you want to please the millennial and Gen Z crowds.
#2 Make booking easy
The digital generations of “there’s an app for that!” love things to be quick and painless! A process requiring more than a few button clicks will most probably make them give up. The easier you can make the booking process the better!
#3 Stay connected!
Millennials and Gen Zers don’t want to wait to get an answer. They want to call you or direct message you. They might even want to Whatsapp you! It’s worth your while to be available quickly and across multiple platforms.
#4 Help them make their own decisions
It might sound paradoxical, but Millennials and Gen Zers like to be presented with transparent options from which they can make their own educated decisions. Presenting them with some alternatives so that they can further investigate, is always a good choice.
#5 Be affordable
Your apartment pricing needs to fit in your guests’ budget, which is also allocated to the hundred of activities they want to do when they arrive. The reason why they choose vacation rental is because it’s more affordable than a hotel, so you should keep your prices competitive, in accordance with your apartment’s quality and capacity.
#6 Organise easy check-in and check-out
The smoother it goes, the happier your guests will be. Find a professional and efficient way to deal with their arrival and departure so that they can enjoy your apartment as soon as possible and don’t need to worry about where to put the keys when they leave.
#7 Give them insider access
Remember that you are welcoming “infovores” to your home. Guests are not just looking for the best property, they also want to know everything about the area and the best activities to do! Any additional information that can make them feel more local will be appreciated!
#8 Make your property insta-worthy
Although comfort and quality are top priorities, making your property sharable and snappable is now also an important criterion. Advertising your property with professional and high-quality pictures is the first step to it: it’s the best way to show to your future guests that they’ll be able to capture instagramable pictures from your interior design.
#9 Offer a hotel-style service…
As Gen Zers seem to come back to hotels, it’s important to adapt to their need for professionalism and quality. This includes not only good communication, easy booking, and check-in processes, but also providing them with all the comfort they deserve, beginning with good linen and amenities.
#10 …with some personality!
When in your property, guests like to discover your own personality and universe, and they greatly appreciate finding a home with a unique story! So don’t hide original details that make your home so special… you might miss an #airbnboftheday capture!
Want to skip all this hassle? The team at City Relay is made of experts in providing a high-quality management service for your property. Please get in touch using the form below to find out further details on how we can help.
