Word: travelled
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...sector jobs--which is to say that none were illegal immigrants. Even more shocking, some of them were straight men. One had been laid off from his long-held job as a local-news producer and saw an ad requiring language skills for foreign flights. One woman used to travel to Hooters restaurants to train waitstaff. She, I believe, just wanted to upgrade her wardrobe...
...just spent 12 hours on the torture rack of business travel and are heading for your hotel. What kind of experience do you want beyond the entryway? A doorman leading you into a shiny, marble lobby, with Muzak gently playing in the background (and a hand out for a tip)? Or would you rather enter a scene out of Friends, with comfortable couches, Nina Simone on the sound track and a game of pool going on? If you desire the latter, you're probably under 35, or perhaps you just think like someone...
Like the changing focal point of the home--the combined kitchen/family room where everyone now hangs out--the Gen Y customer wants a similar seamless experience on the road. That's a big change from boomers, who wanted to be rewarded for traveling. They expected a hotel that was nicer than their home, which Fairmont, Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton have provided since the '80s. According to Y Partnership, this next generation of travelers wants casual food available anytime, free Internet, views and self-service check-in/checkout. Gen Y may represent only 9% of business travelers at the moment...
Eventually, travelers do want to sleep. And the new brands Aloft and NYLO are introducing some innovations, the most radical of which is the orientation of Aloft's bed, which faces the windows rather than the dresser. McGuinness says the idea stems from guests who are always requesting rooms with a view. But an industry analyst wonders if there isn't perhaps a more practical reason. With about a third of upscale franchisees switching brands at some point, according to Smith Travel Research, Aloft franchise owners may have a hard time converting their hotels to Marriotts, where beds are oriented...
With the economy wobbling, everyone in the hotel industry is battling for customers. Smith Travel Research forecasts growth of just 4.4% in room rates over last year. The upscale sector, in which Aloft competes, is currently worth about $12.5 billion. Woronka says profits for this sector are usually about 15% for owners, and expects that Aloft's owners will be earning about the same. According to Starwood, an Aloft hotel costs from $17 million to $25 million for a developer to build, not including land, which could be a little higher than the cost of a Marriott Courtyard or Hilton...