That leisure travel has well outpaced the return of group and business travel is, at this point, a universally acknowledged pandemic-era truth.
What is not yet known is whether the new normal will mean leisure remains the larger share of the travel pie going forward.
What is clear, however, is that many hotel brands and properties that have long prioritized the business traveler are prepping for that possibility and have pivoted in order to better position themselves for what could be a more leisure-focused future.
Take, for example, the Hyatt House flag, an upscale extended-stay concept that has catered to the business travel demographic and has more than 120 locations globally. But as the brand undergoes a repositioning and launches its latest campaign, it has broadened its scope, targeting the leisure audience.
“Prepandemic, we focused on that core, extended-stay business traveler staying five-plus nights who was utilizing the hotel for a business purpose,” said Emily Wright, global brand leader at Hyatt. “But over the pandemic, we really kind of saw that rise of the leisure traveler, and we want to take that a step further.”
‘Over the pandemic, we really saw that rise of the leisure traveler, and we want to take that a step further.’
According to Wright, Hyatt House’s rebranding campaign, which began rolling out earlier this fall and will extend into 2023, is intended to better “embrace all guest occasions.” That includes family-oriented leisure travel, with the initiative showcasing multigenerational family celebrations in its ad content, along with couples and solo leisure travelers.
Concurrently, Hyatt House is in the process of developing a room prototype that Wright said will expand on its signature layout, which includes a bedroom, living area, kitchen and bathroom.
“Our current brand identity has been in play for about a decade, and it has served us very well over time,” said Wright. “But as the product evolves and as our consumer evolves, we wanted to give it a face-lift.”
Like Hyatt House, Omni Hotels & Resorts, which has more than 50 hotels and resorts across the U.S. and Canada, has seen leisure bounce back faster than business.
“In terms of business travel, we’re only probably at about 60% to 65% of where we were in 2019, but leisure has really taken up the slack,” said Omni chairman Peter Strebel.
Omni’s strategy to enhance existing properties with more leisure-oriented amenities predates the pandemic. In 2019 it updated the pool area at its Omni Charlotte Hotel in North Carolina with a zero-edge pool, cabanas, fire pits and an outdoor bar with a big-screen TV in 2019.
More recently, however the group has picked up the renovation pace, similarly revamping the pool area at its Omni Las Colinas Hotel in Irving, Texas, roughly a year ago by adding cabanas and an outdoor restaurant and bar and starting work on a refresh of the Omni Royal Orleans in New Orleans this year, among other projects.
At the New Orleans property, Omni plans to reimagine its rooftop pool, adding some French Riviera-inspired theming, cabanas and a bar. The hotel will also remove some meetings space and turn it into a lobby bar, the back of which will house a late-night jazz venue.
“We are seeing a big investment in more leisure activities,” Strebel said. “Since Covid, more people want to be outside, more people want resortlike amenities. And for the new generation of travelers, they want an experience as opposed to just a place to sleep.”
‘Since Covid, more people
want to be outside, more people want resortlike amenities.’
Strebel also expects that Omni’s lean into leisure will give travelers of all types a reason to extend their stay.
“The length of stay has become a little longer,” said Strebel. “It used to be around two nights, and now it’s 2.3 nights for the brand. We noticed that trend start a while ago, but we actually think with the right amenity package at our properties, people will start to stay even longer.”
