• by Tanya Gazdik , January 8, 2019

A strong online and social media presence is really important if a hotel hopes to attract millennials, according to a new report. 

U.K. furniture maker Knightsbridge commissioned the survey to find out how the sought-after demographic group finds and selects hotels. The survey reveals where hotels and businesses should focus in order to appeal to the young demographic. 

The study, conducted with global data collection agency Viga, polled 1,000 18- to 34-year-olds who had booked hotels in the last two years. It found that 80% of millennials find a hotel using Google, and more than half wouldn’t book a property if its website was difficult to use. Apparently impatient, 49% put off making a booking if they couldn’t do it instantly online.

A prospective hotel’s social media presence is important to millennials, with 73% saying they check the company’s social media feed before booking. In fact, 33% would be put off booking altogether if a hotel had no social media presence.

One out of four millennials use social media sites to find their holiday accommodation, and  83% said they would be more likely to book a hotel after seeing images from someone they follow on social media.

Adequate technology is also important, according to the survey, with 70% saying they would be more likely to book a hotel if it featured such tech amenities as keyless entry, mobile payments, Smart TVs and smartphone charging points.  More than a half (57%) would return to a hotel if it had powerful WiFi.

Powerful Wi-Fi and Smart TVs with Netflix are the top features that would encourage millennials to book a hotel, according to the study. And 40% of male guests say they want video games consoles at a hotel, compared to just 22% of women.

Knightsbridge CEO Alan Towns says the survey shows a shift in travelers' priorities, as a generation used to sharing and documenting its experiences becomes the dominant demographic.

“Another key finding was that 76% of those surveyed admitted to sharing an image of themselves in a hotel on social media, which illustrates the importance of interior design and key furniture pieces, and truly enlightened hoteliers can create environments that fit into the perfect Instagram shot,” Towns says in a release.