If you own a hotel or bed & breakfast in the Florida Keys, you might have noticed that Millennial travelers are different from guests in past decades. We know that Millennials prefer micro-cations to vacations and we’ve already discussed that trend. Even the way to best appeal to a Millennial ordering room service is untraditional. Hospitality businesses that notice and adapt to these changes will probably notice they will soon be getting tagged in more photos on Instagram, which will directly translate into more business from Millennial lodgers.

Here are three super simple changes that any hotel, bed & breakfast or other lodging business can make that will impress their Millennial guests.

#1 – Invest in environmentally friendly packaging.

Millennials won’t be impressed with a burger delivered in a styrofoam carryout box, but they are likely to snap and post a photo of the same burger contained in a clearly-marked biodegradable/compostable container. If they order a coffee with cream, they are likely to take notice of your choice to use biodegradable bamboo stir sticks over plastic stir sticks.
Check out these green food packaging vendors for ideas, and when factoring in cost, remember that these green products usually result in free social media advertising to Millennials all over.

#2 – Offer Vegan Options

Gone are the days when vegans were satisfied ordering french fries, expressing appreciation that the fries were cooked in vegetable oil. A growing number of adults, primarily in the Millennial generation have opted for a vegan lifestyle. Offering multiple entree options that are labeled as a vegan option will result in appreciation and probably a social media shout out. #vegan #veganlife #plantbased.

#3 – Clearly Mark Allergens & Offer Allergen Free Options

Milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean account for about 90% of all food allergies in the US. These allergens, you’ve probably noticed have to be declared on all processed foods according to the USA food allergen labeling act, FALCPA. When serving food, you don’t yet have to declare these allergens, but guests absolutely appreciate it. Only make this commitment if you can adhere to it though in practice. You can take seminars to learn how to ensure that you don’t cross contaminate allergens the same way you once learned to cut veggies on the green cutting board and beef on the red cutting board. It is doable and if you can safely make this commitment to labeling allergens, you will be praised on social media more than you could imagine. Additionally, given the struggles allergy families have with finding suitable places to vacation and the growing number of people developing severe allergies, this is sure to lead to a significant boost in filled rooms.
Tip: If you know you can accodate a peanut free diet, but not other allergens, that’s still a great first step that will be appreciated.

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