Laurent Delporte, trendspotter

Each year heralds a new period and new projects, as we are all conditioned to the rhythm of companies who have prepared their budgets for the coming year in relation to projects and the various events of the year. Each of them undertakes projects based on their current situation, their customers and future trends.

To kick off the new year, I wanted to present a few trends that I’m sensing in the hospitality sector.

Content marketing and advertising

Content is becoming more and more important, and I’m happy about that. Content marketing is becoming increasingly important, as hotel guests seek useful, authentic and interesting information. Advertising as we know it is losing its importance; you can even remove it on the Internet with software. On the other hand, if you’re interested in content that enriches your knowledge, you’ll read it all the way through, and even more, you’ll share it with your friends and family via social networks.

That’s what I’ve been doing since almost the beginning of this DELPORTE HOSPITALITY NEWS adventure. Instead of just rehashing press releases or hotel news, I seek to decipher the luxury hotel business and provide the keys to selecting the best hotels and understanding what a luxury hotel is. The guests of these hotels are on the lookout for this information and share their own experiences with me off the record.

The same goes for the partners I work with through “native advertising”. Advertising has its place, but in the form of content that brings knowledge to web users. The hotel industry needs to rethink its advertising pages.

From customer experience to hotel talent

This word has been around for a few years now, and is becoming more and more widespread. After the years of design and its wow effect in terms of product, hotels are going to have to create the wow effect in terms of service. They have to reinvent it, reinterpret it and go beyond what they do today. Co” is becoming increasingly popular, as new generations like to be together. The collective is adapting everywhere. The luxury hotel industry needs to get ready now to rethink its public spaces to enable meetings, discussions and exchanges, while maintaining discreet spaces too. There are even applications being set up to find out who is present in the hotel and who is available for a drink, a game of tennis, etc…. All this is done on a voluntary basis, of course.

The hotel industry needs to reinvent itself and offer new services that make life easier for guests both in and out of the hotel. She has to let go of some of her beliefs to open up to a new world of services. It also needs to rethink some of its core businesses. You have to know how to keep your know-how and reinvent yourself completely. This doesn’t just apply to the big chains. An independent has the right and even the duty to reinvent itself.

Hotels need to be able to attract the best talent to their hotel to guarantee an incredible level of service to their guests. They need to create a sense of pride in working in their hotel, to share a common goal of success around the customer. The new generation no longer works for a boss, but for an ambitious project to benefit customers, embodied by a leader who will help them grow and give them the means to accomplish their mission.

Back to basics, back to naturalness in the hotel room

I don’t think you’ll learn it, but perhaps it’s worth remembering. Hotel guests come first and foremost to sleep, and to sleep well, especially as they’re not at home. And yet, there’s been little change in the way sleep is prepared in the hotel room. Which Palace now offers eiderdowns for guests in the Presidential Suite, for example? What’s the difference between the beds in our most beautiful rooms? Is it just the size of the bed that changes? How comfortable are the comforters and mattress toppers? What steps has he taken to help his guests fall asleep, sleep and wake up? When it comes to food, has the chef designed any special evening dishes to help his customers sleep well?

Nature has given us everything we need to feel good, so we have to integrate it and respect it in the hotel. I worked on the concept of the ORIGINE Room at EQUIPHOTEL in partnership with the AW2 agency and DELOITTE. This room is a return to the essentials and combines all the conditions for well-being. It evolves according to the rhythms of the day and meets all of man’s vital needs. I’ve focused on natural products for bedding to offer customers exceptional comfort.

That’s how we came up with a 100% natural bed for the hotel industry. The same applies to pillows, comforters and a feather mattress topper. Have you tried this before? It’s important to create value in your product, to provide comfort to build customer loyalty. It costs more to find others than to keep it. A customer who sleeps very well and enjoys his room to the full will be happy to come back and won’t waste time for a next stay with a few euros less to look for another hotel on a booking site.

The naturalness approach can go much further, because even a safe can use beautiful natural materials.

Anticipating new lifestyles. The digital age and new technologies

For those who haven’t yet jumped on the bandwagon, now is the time. Digital and new technologies are developing at breakneck speed. Connected tools and virtual reality will become part of our daily lives, conditioning the way we live and consume. The luxury hotel sector will be no exception.

Have you heard of M-commerce? In 2016, 1 in 4 online purchases were made on a smartphone, and this trend continues to grow. What’s the point today for a customer to take out his bank card, wait for his bill and then the payment machine, when in just two clicks he can pay for his consumption? It saves time, lets you live in the moment differently, and represents a new consumer experience. The first to offer this service will find it easier to win the loyalty of those customers who give their all to progress.

Virtual reality is going from strength to strength. It’s both a source of cultural content, enabling customers to visit places they don’t have access to, and a promotional tool for a hotel, for a sales representative who travels to referral agencies. It’s another way to showcase your hotel. It’s also an HR tool for attracting the best of the Millennial generation, for example, when you visit schools to scout for future talent.

And many other innovations can be added to your hotel rooms and public spaces to differentiate you from your competitors.

The sharing economy

AirBnB structures itself and improves its services for an elitist and business clientele. In my opinion, the prices of the most beautiful apartments on AirBnb and other sites will rise. This is likely to lead to a drop in user traffic, and to a return to the hotel business, particularly those offering more services and experience.

On the other hand, the AirBnb model is already outdated. Today, companies are springing up to manage buildings and transform them into private apartments, offering on-demand services worthy of a 5-star hotel (housekeepers, chambermaids, room service, home chefs, etc.). This is cause for concern for the luxury hotel industry, especially as these new concepts are recruiting their own staff.

2017 promises to be an exciting year for us all. I’m here to support you in all these areas, to help you find the latest products, and to put you in touch with today’s talents who are shaping tomorrow’s world.

Laurent DELPORTE