Every day, the senior consumer market grows, while other age-specific markets remain static or decline. Last year, the growth rate of the population aged over 65 was 3.5%, approximately four times the growth rate of the total population. Hotels often assume that this consumer group is not keeping pace with changing times and technology. In travel purchases, the over-50 market accounts for more than 40% of all online purchases, 26% more than any other age category. Reasons enough to take it very seriously. This is particularly important when it comes to luxury hospitality. Once again, the over-50 group is 45% more likely than younger travellers to spend more than €6,000 a year on domestic travel and 75% more likely to spend €9,000 a year on holidays abroad. The Boomer and senior segments account for 63% of all cruises. Luxury travel and life's comforts are undoubtedly what this consumer group wants and is willing to pay for. Hotels that fail to consider the purchasing power and buying trends of this lucrative consumer group are missing a major opportunity. Those hotels that adapt to the changing market will find a healthy, receptive and growing customer base that will serve them well over the next 20–30 years as the Boomer generation enters the 65+ arena. Boomers take their purchases seriously. They are loyal when service is good and products are of high quality. They are ready and willing to switch hotels when the product or service falls below their expectations. They make impulse purchases to satisfy their desire to keep up with trends and fulfil urges they put off earlier in life. Luxury and uniqueness appeal to them, and they are willing to pay the asking price for them. The eagerness to penetrate booming markets such as Millennials leads many hotels to overlook the adult market, believing the former is larger and has greater potential. A major mistake, incidentally. Loyalty is another differentiating factor that companies fail to consider. Younger consumers are trying new things, but they do not necessarily align themselves with a brand, much less with a hotel. Unfortunately, the vast majority of hotels are focusing all their efforts on trying to attract and retain customers whose attention is centred on the latest trend, while dismissing customers who value relationships over the superficial. Proof of this is evident in the communication approach used on social media and in newsletters. Is a segment of people who have already paid off their mortgages, leaving them with a higher disposable income than any other age group, not of interest to a luxury—and consequently expensive—hotel?

Tips for marketing a hotel to seniors and baby boomers

Seniors and baby boomers represent a whopping 23.4 per cent of the population. As with any other demographic group, there is no silver bullet for marketing to this group. But one thing is certain: it is no longer just about senior discounts. Here are some tips to bear in mind.

1. Focus your message on “the age you feel”, not “your actual age”

The expression “you are only as old as you feel” actually has some scientific truth behind it and offers an interesting insight. People who feel younger than their actual age generally show better health, which in turn influences their personal finances, life satisfaction, attitudes towards ageing, as well as their activities and level of participation in organisations. Therefore, hotels should focus on messages geared towards “felt age”, not actual age. Use models who are cognitively younger; they do not have to look younger, but rather have a younger psychological profile. The content of advertising, sales and marketing messages should be cognitively based. For example, our Spa treatments for osteoporosis are not intended to prevent bones from breaking, but because we want you to go to the beach and play golf.

2. Build trust

Seniors and baby boomers generally buy what everyone else buys. But they tend to take more time to research and plan how and where they spend their money. For a hotel, this means earning their trust. And one of the best tools in your marketing toolkit to achieve this is to refine your customer service: satisfaction comes first, but loyalty must be earned and, in the long term, matters far more.

3. What marketing vehicles should a hotel use to reach seniors?

If you are considering developing a specific marketing strategy to reach and engage seniors, start small, monitor ROI and adjust your tactics as necessary. As with all target markets, you need to reach your customers where they are, and particularly for baby boomers, this means taking your marketing online. More than 60 per cent of members of the Baby Boomer generation actively consume socially created content such as blogs, videos, podcasts and forums. Therefore, if seniors and baby boomers are your target market, you clearly cannot ignore search engine optimisation and social media marketing. Email marketing also remains a powerful force in marketing to seniors: when used properly, it still outperforms all other forms of direct marketing in terms of ROI. Depending on your specific objective, you may need to pay attention to the visual preferences and needs of the senior market. Is your typeface too small? Is your email too visually cluttered? Is your call to action clear and appealing?

4. Which sales channels are best suited to facilitating bookings for seniors?

With all that has been discussed, it would be very naive to think that the booking behaviour of the over-50 audience is identical to that of a 35- or 40-year-old. Different generations create different habits, so an audience guided by trust when booking its luxury experience is unlikely to choose an OTA when making a reservation. I do not mean that it is impossible, but it is certainly not what one would expect. Baby Boomers and senior guests undoubtedly prefer direct contact with their trusted hotel or through their travel specialists or destination specialists, who will help and advise them in choosing the option best suited to their tastes, preferences and requirements. This is now an undeniable fact, as demonstrated by the extraordinary growth of specialist networks such as Virtuoso or Traveller Made, which have secured an important place in the market through the personalisation of experiences for their clients. For this reason, it is important for a luxury hotel to know how to reach not only this highly desirable audience, but also the specialist referral channels within the adult luxury segment. Competing solely on OTAs is certainly not the way forward.