Brand Management in the Hospitality Industry

Abstract

D emand, ultimately, means customers. We looked at how one customer group, the baby boomers, has changed the hospitality industry. Our customers’ average age is increas- ing as the boomers move into their senior years. We also looked at two other cohorts, the GenXers and the echo boomers. Family travel continues to create demand for child-friendly hospitality. The slow but steady growth in the over-65 population foreshadows the explo- sion in that age group in 2011, when boomers start to turn 65. We discussed four other demographic changes: diversity, working women, changing families, and changing incomes. Working women are an established workforce fact. Seventy-five percent of women in their childbearing years work, and as many as 90 percent work sometime during the year. Two-income families mean more demand for food service and for travel but more pressure on time, making shorter vacations popular.