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Millennials characteristics and behaviors

According to Howe and Strauss (2009), Millennials is a term in economics referring to
generation of people who individually reached adulthood around the bend of two
millenniums, with distinguishing and unique traits in comparison with other generations such
as Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, etc. Millennials is defined as people born
between 1982 and 2004 by Howe and Strauss. Also, there are other periods supposed to be the
Millennial generations time. For example, Newsweek magazine supposed that the Millennial
generation was born between 1977 and 1994 (Bergman, et al., 2011), while the New York
Times took the period 1976-1998 (DeBard, R., 2004) and Time magazine put the Millennials
at 1980-2000 (Stein, J., 2013). The Millennials generation is considered the next generation to
take over the work with highly technology savvy and social network based activities. There
are some key points in characteristics and behaviors that the generation has in common, which
make them the majorly potential customers in many industry sectors.
First, Millennials were born and live in an increasingly technologically developing
world with digital devices that can handle almost all necessary requirements in one, so that
they cannot live without these stuffs. They use technology products such as cellphones and
laptop to roll up communications, entertainment and education plus other needs all in a single
one. They are sensible of technology and always want to be the first one to take experience in
new stuff. Compared with previous generations who are less connected but more skeptical
with mew technology, the Millennials embrace themselves with technology.
Second, the Millennials generation has a great bond with each other via social
networking activity. As mentioned above, they are use technology products like cellphone to
connect to their cyber social community where almost every decision they make also get huge
influences from, including consuming products. For example, register an account in the
largest cyber social network (Facebook) and you are a part of as society with barely difference
from society in real life. You even can shop online and conduct all phases of products
purchasing with some clicks, which the previous generations such as our parents and
grandparents have to spend all day to do in traditional markets. You also meet friends from all
over the world, talk through text messages, online calls or video calls when you sit at home.
Overall, you can connect with the world outside and implement almost social activity from a
spot before the screen, which the Millennials see more interesting than traditional formal
grouping and peer communications. They expose their lives with habits, activities, thinking
and other stuff online and interact with each other via cyber society instead of doing it

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physically in real society. That is why they are influenced from this world and nowadays
companies are doing research of their online behaviors to sell products to them.
Third, as mentioned, the Millennials connects with each other via social network
online and also they collaborate with high team spirit which can make them a generation of
positivity and community-oriented mindset. They prefer to work in team to deal with a
common issue and to companies; they are helpful customers who are willing to work with you
to innovate your products and brands.
Last, the Millennials, who are at the most energetic period, always seek for challenges
and adventures. They want to discover new things and are not afraid to move around for their
ideals. They are passionate and patient with pursuing values that they believe. They are
willing to work abroad and away from home to get their dream job.
Three kinds of hotels that appeal to the Millennials
Back

to

the

article

of

trends

in

hospitality

industry

in

2015

(http://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article/8736), Robert Rauch have given comment of the

Millennials when proposing them as the fastest growing customer segment with the
hospitality industry in recent years and further. With the characteristics of social collaboration
and interaction, exploration and experience passion, they are willing to pay more to enjoy
stuff that is more exciting. Three of these new and exciting stuffs within the hospitality
community and young people are Glamping, Airbnb and Boutique. They are three new kinds
of hotels that have been created for the sake of travel lovers within the Millennial generation.
According to Boscoboinik and Bourquard (2011), glamping is new word formed by
glamorous and camping, which partially expresses the meaning of this kind of hospitality.
Glamping combines camping inherently with nature sites and wild places with luxury and
glamorous travel with expensive and exquisite service. It is supposed to be an emerging trend
within travelers recent years when giving the young people appeals to have experience of
living a remote and naturally beautiful place in a luxurious house or apartment such as a highend hotel room in an island or a tropical jungle. The core meaning of Glamping is camping in
ensuite place, which is initially thought to be a weird combination between a rustic hobbies,
self-reliant travelling and deluxe hotel travelling with service at hand. Young people love
camping because they want to challenge themselves in a remote place and also to enjoy the
true beauty of wild and unattained nature with self-experienced spirit. Now they can enjoy it
more conveniently with packages offered by the companies in hospitality industry. They offer
glamping accommodations in wide variety of choices, such as airstream, trailers, farmhouses,
cabins, tents, barns or treehouses which can meet all kinds of requirement from the customers.
2

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Airstreams and trailers outstand among them for their movability as traditional camping as
well as luxury standard remained. If the customers want to enjoy life in farms, the companies
can offer them barns and farmhouses overlooking large fields and cozy cabins for couples in
their special days with service at hands. The Millennials who are young and willing to try new
things would love to choose glamping for their travelling plan. However, the combination
might raise some concern of nature preservation if the companies decide to exploit untouched
nature sites for their business plan. Additionally, to people who love to travel self-reliantly
with prepared equipment like traditional camping (building the tent, preparing food and selfcooking), they might not like it.
Next, Airbnb is also an emerging trend in travel community for the convenience and
simplicity in implement. The word Airbnb comes from Airbed and Breakfast, that means the
kind of hospitality offer the most basic and simple service with reasonable price for travelers
is a decent place to sleep and a meal. It was created by a couple in San Francisco in 2008,
who are experienced travelers with the concept of helping other people who cannot book a
room in hotel in short term, simultaneously offers foods and sleeping spaces. It can be
understood as a kind of hosting similarly in many levels with Uber taxi, that means people
would register to be the host to be listed on Airbnb website for travelers. Obviously, Airbnb
does not own any accommodations or rooms, they are merely the intermediary to connect the
demands and the supplies. It suits the Millennials because it stimulates the challenge loving in
them. Also, it shows the strong power of social collaborations among the Millennials for the
sake of community. The accommodation and the price are under agreement between the hosts
and the travelers; Airbnb benefits both sides who registered to be listed in their sites. The
hosts who are hospitable can meet and befriend people from around the world while still make
money and the travelers can stay in a decent place for the price lower than of a standard hotel,
especially to whom are wild adventurers or backpackers with high spirit of taking challenges.
Airbnb makes excellent listings, fair price and smooth and reachable help center. The
Millennials, with average of under 30, would love to express themselves and connect to each
other through traveling and Airbnb offer perfect service for them to do it. However, despite
the advantages, because Airbnb cannot intervene the transaction between the hosts and the
guests of price, property quality and when there is incident occur, such as the house is
vandalized, the items are stolen, or the possible fraud, the company might take responsibility
to deal with the issues. In comparison with Glamping, the scale and service quality are
obviously lower, for the difference in its targeted segments.

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The last is Boutique hotels, which refers to small hotels with limited rooms uniquely
set up with upscale items in it for specific purpose of people with good incomes. Boutique
hotels firstly appears in major cities in hustle bustle corners of New York, London and San
Francisco. Compared to two kinds of hotels above, Boutique hotels aim to wealthy people
with stylishly sophisticated tastes, so that the setup has to be elite and top-class,
simultaneously they are located in uptown in big urban center instead of distant and wild
spots. The Boutique is similar to traditional hotel or lodging sites but upscale it to a higher
level serving particular and aspirational requirements from customers. The targeted customers
of Boutique and Glamping are people with high incomes and lavishly exquisite tastes, while
Airbnb serves people with self-reliant mindset and have limited amount of money.
In general, three kinds of hotels individually have its distinguishing characteristics and
uniqueness that make it appealing to customers, including the Millennials, who are potential
customers with the hospitability industry. That means they have to constantly innovate its
service traits that make profits more from these promising customers.

Reference
1.

Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2009). Millennials rising: The next great

generation. Vintage.
2.
Stein, J. (2013). Millennials: The me me me generation. Time
Magazine, 20.
3.
Bergman, S. M., Fearrington, M. E., Davenport, S. W., & Bergman, J.
Z. (2011). Millennials, narcissism, and social networking: What narcissists do on
social networking sites and why. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(5), 706711.
4.

DeBard, R. (2004). Millennials coming to college. New directions for

student services, 2004(106), 33-45.

5.
[Online] Robert Rauch (2014) Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in
2015. Available at: http://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article/8736
Accessed on March 11th 2016.
6.
Boscoboinik, A., & Bourquard, E. (2011). Glamping and rural imagery.
From production to consumption: Transformation of rural communities, LIT Verlag,
Zurich.

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