Nowadays young adults place vital importance on how their lives are portrayed on their social networks. This is especially true when it comes to traveling. Millennials have moved away from traditional travel decision-making aspects like climate, price, and personal taste when it comes to planning a trip. Instead, they prefer destinations that can garner social media likes and trigger travel envy.

A recent survey by Schofields Insurance found that nearly half of people aged 18-33 chose their travel destinations according to the likelihood of 'instagramable' moments. For this reason, many millennials prefer boutique hotels with distinguishing features and vibes that make for a more shareworthy experience through social media posts.

Because 84% of millennials plan their vacations based on what they see in their social media updates, according to a study by Lonely Planet, hoteliers are turning to social media influencers to promote their properties. This hotel marketing tactic involves leveraging millennials’ impulse to imitate, and many hotels now present their properties with a touch of character and unique décor that make for interesting posts on Instagram or other social media platforms. This is an important consideration for hoteliers when designing or planning a renovation of their property’s interior and exterior aesthetics. Hotels want to offer their guests unique experiences in inviting atmospheres, which also means adapting their hotel design and style to this new age guest. Aesthetics are so important to millennials that in a recent survey, 42% said they would return to the same hotel for an impressive design.

Adequate technology is also a significant factor for millennials when choosing hotels, according to a study commissioned by U.K. furniture maker Knightsbridge to find out how this demographic finds and selects hotels. 70% of those surveyed said they would be more likely to book a hotel that featured tech amenities such as keyless entry, mobile payments, smart TVs and smartphone charging stations.

These insights matter to the hospitality industry as the millennial population now represents one of the largest segments of business travelers, taking an average of 7.7 business trips over the last 12 months. This generation is more likely than others to turn those trips into vacations. So, as one of the largest consumer demographics, how this population makes decisions matters to hoteliers and even influences operators’ business decisions.

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