The world of business is being taken over by a new generation of business travelers – and they are a force to be reckoned with: Millennials are digital natives that are now in their twenties and thirties. They are used to doing everything on their smartphone or tablet and their expectations of a hotel differ widely from those of their predecessor generation.

Here are five tips for attracting this crowd to your hotel

• Online booking
  Make it possible for millennials to book directly online, or better still, from their mobile phone.
  
  
• Self check in and out
  Make things simpler by making it possible for your guests to check in and out by themselves. Another sure way to make things easier is to provide guests with digital room keys that can be downloaded onto smartphones.
  
  
• Hip design
  Provide millennials with rooms with unique designs and a large lounge area for relaxing and mingling with other guests. However, it is also important to provide work spaces, because they are vital to this crowd.
  
  
• Personalized services
  Opt for a personal approach that puts your guests and their personal preferences center stage, e.g. through customer relationship management and tools such as a digital concierge or an online travel guide.
  
  
• Guest experience
  Give your guests and their needs your full and undivided attention. This is only possible by using standardized processes and if all of your management applications work together perfectly. This can, for example, be achieved by using a hotel management software system like hetras', which is a platform that combines a room and front office management system (PMS) with a central reservation system (CRS) and automates all distribution processes.

Picture: Ruby Sofie Hotel Vienna