The booming American economy has made travel not only more possible but more likely as well. This is especially true for travel to overseas destinations, both in groups and individual travel. Airlines often have special advance-purchase pricing which makes overseas travel more affordable. There are two major considerations for hotels, however, that require strategic planning and a revamping of some services to guests. As the population ages and they have more discretionary dollars to spend, there will be an infusion, both of veteran travelers (now going to out-of-the-way destinations, formerly closed to them because of budget consideration) and there will be new travelers visiting international destinations for the first time. Statistically, though, travelers staying in hotels, world-wide, are getting older.
There are two key priorities for today's strategic hotel management: First, to satisfy the traveler, regardless of age or nationality (whether traveling individually, with family, or in an all-inclusive tour group); Second, is to enable the hotel to increase its occupancy rates without diminishing personal service while showing a fair profit return on the hotel staff's efforts. There are several important factors to recognize about the aging population and its travel activities. First, price is no longer the major consideration in booking a hotel. Second, convenience of location and hotel amenities are vital factors in hotel selection. This may be by word of mouth, previous experience, or the advice of travel agency professionals.
To begin with, "Safety, predictability and convention come to be greater values than unpredictability or surprise" (Krotz 8). This may well be one of the reasons that chain hotels, with outlets in the U.S. that travelers know and recognize, are often a first choice. They know the "name" and the predictability of accommodations and service.
Secondly, as more experienced aging ...