for booking a hotel. The number drips slightly for younger travelers but always remains the most popular choice — 60% for millennials and 55% for Gen Z.The focus on health and wellness continued to be a major trend that the hotel chain observed going into 2024. Nearly one in four older travelers specifically seek out hotels with a good mattress while a respective 21% and 25% of Gen Zers regulate their workout and avoid drinking alcohol before bedtime.
Specific things that Hilton guests have requested include being able to more easily connect a phone or other device to listen to a podcast as they're winding for the night and more readily available earplugs and headphones. In the survey, 22% of those polled said that this is something that helps them achieve a good night's sleep while away from home.
The focus on wellness also seeps into the culinary space. While numbers that show younger visitors have been consuming less alcohol has pushed Hilton to invest in creating new mocktails for its hotel bars and restaurants, 82% of those polled also said that having a good restaurant in their hotel was a top priority while a larger number is also looking for healthy options — 72% said they wanted to see a grab-and-go market filled with healthy snacks within easy access.
And as shown in past years, the line between business and leisure travel is getting increasingly blurred. While the growth of remote workers traveling during the week and taking personal trips while also doing some work continued from past years, Hilton's numbers also show that many are starting to combine family and work travel. For business travelers, 24% in the survey said that they plan to take a friend or family member on a work trip with them at some point in the coming year.
"Every generation is driving a vibrant mix of travel experiences and expectations for 2024," Jason Dorsey, president of The Center for Generational Kinetics and Hilton's generational consultant for the report, said in a statement."One important finding within is the cross-generational priority for connectivity and personalization throughout the travel experience."