Millennials Are Choosing Hotels for the ’Gram, Not the Cost

Millennials would rather spend more money for an Instagrammable hotel room than take a budget room, reports HotelTonight.

The mobile travel app aggregated booking data to find that when it comes to choosing hotel rooms, millennials—here defined as those roughly between the ages of 18 and 35—tend to opt for luxury rooms at a deeper discount over the cheapest room. This is in stark contrast to earlier, more budget-conscious generations. Also noteworthy is the fact that this demographic prefers boutique hotels that offer more unique (and yes, Instagrammable) stays, as compared to established name brand chains.

“It’s not only about broadcasting interesting things and doing interesting things, but it’s also about receiving inspiration,” says HotelTonight CEO Sam Shank. “What [millennials] really want is value. They’re interested in spending a little bit more to get a whole lot versus previous generations, who just want to spend the absolute least amount of money as possible.”

This could explain why Hilton is starting a chain explicitly aimed at millennials. Yes, it’s technically a name brand chain, but by marketing itself as an “experience” instead of a regular hotel—and including punchy colors and unique amenities, such as The Hive, a community driven work and play space that takes the place of a traditional lobby—it’s perfectly suited to the generation that values memorable experiences (and the accompanying ‘grams to prove it) over anything else.

In fact, an Internet Marketing Inc. study in 2016 determined that 97 percent of millennials will post on social media while traveling, and 75 percent will post once a day. Separately, a Mintel study from that same year found that travel proved more important to millennials than paying student loans, buying “big ticket items,” or even starting a family.

This all goes to show that not only do millennials love to travel—they’re actually the biggest segment of business travelers—they’re also using social media to do it.

“This is a generation that grew up with mobile as their first computer, and it was probably an iPhone. In many cases, they are very comfortable with it,” says Shank. “That is the platform of preference and where they are spending their time, and how they purchase things.”

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