HAPPY 4TH OF JULY – A time to Celebrate as activity accelerates!
The Hospitality Industry was greatly challenged during the pandemic, but the Leisure Hospitality Market remained steady and often exceeded pre-pandemic demand. This was caused by pandemic “cabin fever” and the “millennial-experiences fever”.
Travel came to a screeching halt during the 2nd quarter of 2020 as Americans stayed at home (shelter-in-place) in the 2nd Quarter of 2020. Travel fuels the hospitality industry
As Americans were allowed to “peep out” in the 3rd Quarter, resort and leisure locations started to thrive. These “getaway” locations (getaway from big cities, overcrowding and the virus) became popular. Being outdoors, boating in the lake, swimming in the ocean, kayaking rivers and hiking the mountains helped leisure hotels and restaurants to have long waiting lines and no-vacancies.
Hoteliers and restauranteurs quickly learned about feast and famine. Many initiated plans to expand their hotels and restaurants, with focus on becoming more efficient and creating healthier environments for their guests. The Great Outdoors is…well, GREAT!
Moving forward (thank you, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson), the leisure Hospitality Industry will become a growth market with Millennials and Generation Z leading the charge.
The younger generations, accounting for 50% of America’s population, have figured out that material possessions are not as important to their lifestyles as experiences. These experiences will cause a growth spurt for travel and hospitality. Millennials and Gen Z have postponed graduation trips to Iceland, philanthropic trips to Ethiopia and graduate coursework in Shenzhen.
With passports in hand, these tech savvy individuals find affordable experiences all over the world. The pandemic has taught these generations that they can work from anywhere (WFA). Does Ethiopia have Wi-Fi? The rest of us will get to enjoy an Instagram post of their fish chermoula at a Moroccan Fair.
ODA Architecture has been busy designing leisure hotels and restaurants to prepare for this growth market. As pictured, these designs include hotels at the beach, at lakes and in the mountains. All designs include destination experiences, such as boat rentals, roof-top terraces, courtyards for weddings, exterior dining terraces, exploring and luxury suites…all with local craft beers close at hand.
