QHA-Review_August_Digital

ACCOMMODATION with Tom Fitzgerald
TRAVEL TRENDS
QHA REVIEW | 44
It is a pleasure to have joined the QHA in the role of
Membership Officer – Accommodation. The QHA
Review has always been a staple in our household,
being born into a second-generation family of
publicans who were active QHA members.
I was fortunate to grow up in the industry with parents
Tom and Jenny, and uncle Pat Fitzgerald operating
various hotels throughout North Queensland. Being
exposed to hospitality from an early age, I’ve always
had a passion and admiration for the industry, its
continuous innovation and the supporting role hotels
provide in their communities.
Working within the family business, I have more than
10 years experience in front-of-house roles in venues
such as The Seaview Hotel, Molly Malones Irish Pub
and the Riverview Tavern. I enjoyed a stint abroad
working for an Australian owned multi-site café
franchise operation in the UK, followed by multiple
years working for the Star Entertainment Group and
Tourism & Events Queensland based in Brisbane.
From a QHA Accommodation perspective we have
conducted several regional meetings engaging with
members and stakeholders in the last month. Topics
have ranged from the inaugural Pacific Airshow
coming to the Gold Coast, staff shortages, the
AAoA merger, Queens Wharf Development updates,
the Year of Accessible Tourism and Post Olympics
Legacy initiatives. At a recent South East Queensland
General Managers Meeting, Steph Davidson, market
team leader from booking.com, provided insights
on optimising average daily revenue and the current
consumer travel trends.
According to Booking.com findings, the Top 3 Travel
Trends of 2023 are:
1. Saving to Splurge - the return of planning travel
in advance while seeking more bang for their
buck.
2. Off Grid Experiences - consumers are looking
to experience out of their comfort zone travel and
want to experience culture shock.
3. Mindfulness and Wellness - consumers
are looking for opportunities to re-center on a
mindfulness getaway, with health hiatuses and
spiritual experiences being attractive.
Some of the suggestions to ensure hotels can align
themselves with these consumer preferences include
key areas such as the following.
Booking window pricing and policy - ensuring
flexibility and capturing long lead times
With the current economic climate, people are more
aware and careful about how they spend their money,
so it is worth focusing your positioning to attract costconscious
travelers.
Flex your cancellation policies
Consumers are currently driven by flexibility and
transparency in policies. There is more sensitivity
surrounding cancellation policies as a by-product of
Covid experiences. Cancellation policies need to be
straight forward, as people are detracted from vague
or unclear policies.