As 2022 comes to an end, one way to start the new year on a high note is to maintain a positive attitude and think of those who are a source of joy, hope, and inspiration to us all; namely, younger generations. Nowadays, younger generations, like Millennials and Gen Zers, represent a significant driving force in many industry sectors, including the vacation rental market. Thus, finding out how you can make your vacation rentals, services, and offers more appealing to them is imperative in order to win the loyalty of the largest and most influential group of consumers in the US.

Since building trust with and winning the loyalty of Millennials and Gen Zers can be a complex endeavor, we’ve gathered below a few tips on how to provide the exact types of services and experiences younger travelers expect.

Focus on the Overall Digital Experience

While personalized services should be the quintessence of any business operating within the hospitality industry, the digital experience that your lodging management company provides is equally important to younger travelers. To win their hearts and loyalty, you need to find a way to translate the services you offer into the exceptional digital experiences they expect.

Changing your business model and digitizing your business processes isn’t easy. However, digital transformation is what your company needs if you wish to make your business more appealing to younger audiences. What does digital transformation mean for a vacation rental management company? In a nutshell, it means opting for specific tech solutions, such as digital guidebooks, reliable payment systems, and smart home security systems, which will enable your company to architect the ultimate digital experience that can capture the interest of younger guests.

In addition, your company should use CRM software, which can help you provide customized experiences that can really nurture relationships with your guests. Besides providing a digital collection of information that allows you to personalize the interaction with each guest, an advanced CRM system will also interconnect with a series of tools that you can use to send instant text messages and auto-replies in order to provide each guest with the right information, at the right time, and, in turn, earn conversions, loyalty, and revenue. Since personalization and real-time interactions can help you make a positive impression on modern travelers, the CRM system you use plays a key role in providing a truly engaging, impactful digital experience to all guests, even before they book a vacation rental from you. 

Use the Right Marketing Channels

While creating a complete marketing strategy can help you attract guests of different ages, you need to make sure that your company is present where your potential guests spend most of their time. So, if your target audiences are Millennials and Gen Zers, you may want to consider using specific social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Besides using your business social media accounts to run different advertising campaigns, you can also post snippets of your company’s blog posts and infographics, upcoming events in the area, quick tips and advice, industry news, and so on. When creating your content, remember that great visuals and catchy audio are potent combinations that can persuade younger audiences to visit your website. Once a potential guest visits your website for additional advice or more details about the vacation rentals you manage, you have half of the battle won.

Another way to reach Millennials and Gen Zers is by leveraging user-generated content, highlighting what real guests say about your company and the properties you oversee. Since online reviews, testimonials, and other user-generated content is free and can help you build credibility fast, you can use it strategically to market your vacation rentals to younger travelers.   

Go Beyond Stereotypes

Credibility and transparency are two examples of stereotypes that can still be effective for building trust with guests. However, Millennial and Gen X travelers expect more than that. In a nutshell, these generations aren’t impressed with lectures about policies and procedures. Instead, they tend to put their trust in companies that value authentic connections. What does this mean? In short, fostering meaningful dialogue and providing complete yet succinct information that answers as many questions as possible in advance, while taking advantage of the convenience offered by text messaging are a few factors you need to consider when trying to engage younger travelers. If you manage to put all these in the context of a one-of-a-kind digital experience, you’ll be able to forge a truly great guest experience that can help you win the loyalty of Millennial and Gen Z travelers.

When it comes to attracting younger travelers, understanding their preferences and providing a great digital experience are two factors that could help your company acquire and retain more Millennial and Gen Z guests. Fortunately, JANIIS can help you with that! Unlike stand-alone solutions, our software offers a wide range of advanced features, tools, and integrations that integrate seamlessly with each other as well as different core systems and fintechs to act as one coordinated system. This will give you the ability to create a more cohesive experience for all of your guests, regardless of their generation!