In a world where remote work is no longer a novelty, digital nomads represent an emerging market that hotels cannot afford to overlook. There are now over 35 million digital nomads worldwide, with 11 percent of the U.S. workforce identifying as part of this group. These individuals are young, affluent and tech-savvy, often seeking flexibility in both work and lifestyle. To tap into this lucrative segment, hotels need to leverage cloud Property Management Systems (PMS) and mobile technology in ways that enhance guest experience, streamline operations and offer a tailored stay. Here are four ways hotels can do just that.
Use Mobile and Kiosk Check-in to Deliver Hybrid Communal Workspaces
For digital nomads, a hotel should serve as a home away from home—a space where they can be productive, connect with others and unwind after a long day. Unfortunately, traditional lobbies, often focused around a front desk, function more as elaborate waiting rooms and fall short of meeting the needs of these travelers. By integrating mobile or kiosk-based check-in options, hotels can redefine the role of the lobby. With a cloud PMS that supports guest-facing kiosks, the check-in process becomes streamlined and unobtrusive. This transformation frees up space for a more guest-centric environment, allowing the lobby to become a dynamic hub for co-working, dining and socializing. Digital nomads, who value community and convenience, will be drawn to this versatile and functional space.
Staff-Light and Highly Responsive Operations with Automation and Mobile Guest Messaging
Digital nomads are tech-savvy but also expect high-touch personal service. So why would a hotel force them to interact with staff from a landline phone that hasn’t been updated since the 1990s? A cloud PMS integrated with a mobile guest messaging system maximizes flexibility when interacting with guests, allowing staff to respond to requests through the guests’ messaging platform of choice, or meet them in person wherever they happen to be on property. Your hotel’s mobile PMS should also empower staff to deliver efficient service by automating most repetitive administrative tasks, offering instant room status updates and providing an intuitive user interface that doesn’t distract from guest interactions. This approach not only lowers costs but ensures that guests receive responsive, personalized service, meeting the high standards that digital nomads demand while streamlining overall hotel operations.
Customizing the Nomadic Experience with Hourly Bookings, Mobile Upgrades and Attribute-Based Selling
The traditional “one room for one night” booking model limits how hotels can fully optimize and monetize their spaces, making it difficult to meet the evolving needs of digital nomads. By offering flexible options such as hourly or day-use rates, hotels can attract airport travelers in need of a break during long layovers or remote workers seeking a quiet, productive space. A cloud PMS with mobile amenities and upgrade options lets digital nomads customize their stay in real time, boosting ancillary revenue for the hotel. Additionally, with attribute-based shopping, a mobile PMS allows guests to book rooms based on specific features they value, offering a higher level of personalization and moving beyond the generic “room type” approach. This flexibility opens new revenue streams and enhances guest satisfaction.
Creating a Nomadic“Home” with Seamless Data Sharing Between Hotel Properties
Digital nomads have enormous potential customer lifetime value (CLV) to multi-property hotel chains一but only if they can interact with their guests as a unified brand, and not separate properties. A cloud PMS that supports multi-property data sharing facilitates the creation of a robust guest profile一incuding room and amenity preferences, purchasing habits and special requirements or requests一that follow guests as they travel from property to property, turning the hotel into a “home away from home” for the traveling nomad. Whether they stay at a hotel property in New York or Tokyo, their preferences, history and loyalty status follow them, offering a cohesive and personalized experience at every stop.
Conclusion: Meeting the Needs of the Next Generation of Travelers
As the number of digital nomads continues to rise, hotels must adapt to meet their unique needs. Cloud PMS and mobile technology provide the tools to offer seamless, personalized and tech-forward experiences that this group demands. By embracing flexible, future-proof solutions, hotels can not only attract digital nomads but also create new revenue streams and build long-lasting guest loyalty. The future of hospitality is increasingly mobile, and those that invest in the right technology today will be well-positioned to cater to the travelers of tomorrow.
About Stayntouch
Stayntouch delivers a cloud-native and guest-centric hotel property management system (PMS) with a comprehensive library of over 1,100 integrations. Stayntouch’s cloud-native PMS empowers independent hotels, hotel groups, and management companies to drive revenue, reduce costs, enhance service, and captivate their guests. In 2022, Stayntouch launched Stayntouch 2.0, a fully integrated technology suite featuring its core cloud-native PMS and guest kiosk solution, a comprehensive chain management module, a seamless booking engine (Stayntouch Booking), a robust payment processing platform (Stayntouch Pay), and a powerful channel manager. Stayntouch 2.0 enables hotels to streamline their operations, maximize and diversify their revenue streams, and deliver an even more enhanced guest experience with the innovation and support of one trusted technology partner. Stayntouch is supported by a team of professionals with deep roots in the hospitality industry and is a trusted partner to industry-leading management companies including Sage Hospitality, HEI Hotels & Resorts, and EOS Hospitality, innovative independent brands such as Village Hotels, Pod Hotels, and First Hotels, and iconic flagship properties such as the TWA Hotel, Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, and Zoku Amsterdam. For more information, visit www.stayntouch.com.
Elliott Mest
MFC PR
Stayntouch
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