Hotel Executive Voices: How are hotels winning over the Millennial market?

Millennial Road Warriors are traveling a lot, and hotel chains are fighting over this important demographic. As focus shifts from Baby Boomers to Millennials, hotel companies have started creating brands that cater specifically to millennials (like Starwood's Tribute Portfolio, for example).  While Marriott is trying to bring in live music to woo the younger crowd, here's how other hotel brands are responding:

1. David Hart, President & CEO of Hart Hotels: "We’ve embraced the shorter booking window that is common with Millennial travelers and are constantly growing and updating our package offers, as well as access to information about local attractions and events. On the food and beverage front, we’re thoughtful with our offerings and appeal to the Millennial market dining trends including farm to table ingredients and local wines and distilled spirits."

2. Mike DeFrino, CEO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants: "We know Millennials are seeking authentic experiences when they’re exploring their hometown or on the road. They look for hotels that are within a short walk of great restaurants and music venues, bars that offer unique craft cocktails and shareable bites, and communal tables and bar counters with easily accessible USB ports and plugs for various personal devices. There’s also a secret social password that our guests can access through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If they drop the password at the front desk, the hotel will surprise and delight them with anything from room upgrades to tickets for local attractions."

3. David Berg, CEO of Carlson Hospitality Group: "Their experiences with established brands don’t satisfy those needs so they seek out alternatives. We have responded with our new Radisson Red brand that is designed for the Millennial mindset (we don’t care what age you are) with architecture meshed to consumer experiences both within the hotel and at every other touch point."

4. Elie Maalouf, CEO, The Americas, IHG: "The marketing world is getting older and younger at the same time, and to be successful brands will have to be relevant to both demographic groups. The big opportunity for brands is strategically managing both of these groups at the same time, often together in the same place."

5. Gibran Chapur, Executive Vice President of Palace Resorts: "We continuously incorporate the latest technologies including a mobile application that allows guests to easily manage their itineraries as well as complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the resorts, even in pool areas. As Millennials are very health cautious, we offer gluten-free options at our restaurants as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center, complete with spinning classes and bootcamp style classes."

6. Adrian Perez, President of Heritage Hotels & Resorts Inc: "We’ve learned that this group responds positively to our local, boutique properties and they appreciate our original Southwestern décor done by local artists. We also offer a variety of unique nightlife experiences at our bars and lounges that is very appealing to the Millennial traveler and locals alike as this group is very interested in interacting with locals as well as fellow travelers at our bars and lounges."

Jessica Festa is the founder on the solo and offbeat travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and the online responsible tourism and culture magazine, Epicure & Culture. She's constantly searching for local experiences beyond the guidebook. You can follow her travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.