Does the Travel Industry Actually 'Get' Millennials?
By CNT Editors. Photos: Courtesy Ace Hotel.
What do millennials want? It's the marketers' Holy Grail, as they seek to understand that key demographic of digitally-obsessed, stereotypically self-important 20-somethings who have only the vaguest memories of phone books and dial-up Internet. On this edition of Travelogue, Condé Nast Traveler's weekly podcast, we take a look at the travel industry—the airlines, hotels, and cheeky start-ups—as they try to tap the millennial market. Our question: Is it working? Hear the complete podcast here.
It can be clear which hotel is winning the hearts of millennials when one has a buzzing lobby scene that grew organically into a must-stop spot for the creative class while the other threw a bunch of iPads into its rooms and called it a day. But most of the time it's a little less obvious: Is keyless entry really that much of a game-changer or do millennials actually just want enough outlets for their arsenals of devices? We face these questions head-on and more, looking at everything from how business travel has changed in the digital age to whether airlines can do more to cater to the young and restless than just driving down the price.
Listen in on in-house millennials Meredith Carey, Sebastian Modak, and Laura Dannen Redman make their case, while proud Gen Xer Brad Rickman questions whether there really is a difference between the 18-35 bracket today and twenty years ago. Warning: The word 'bleisure' is used repeatedly. Thanks to the millennial behind the boards, Brett Fuchs, for recording and editing. Check back every Friday for our latest installment of Travelogue. To keep up with our podcast each week, subscribe to Travelogue on the iTunes store or the podcasting app of your choice. And please do send us feedback: If there's one thing we learned while figuring out how the industry can better understand millennials it's that communication is key.
This story originally appeared on Conde Nast Traveler.
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