A new year can bring new consumer trends, spending habits, behaviors, and more. Many industries have begun predicting what’s to come in 2023.  The hotel space is no different – we’ve been reading up on projected hospitality trends for next year.

Many publications have put out their opinions and lists of predicted trends. Here are some of the articles we found interesting:

• By Hospitality Net 
• By Longitude 
• By Preno 

As our industry grows, adapts, and changes, we look forward to positive developments in the hotel space in the next year. Because of this, we wanted to share our takes on the five 2023 trends that stood out to us:

1. Emphasis on Sustainability

An increased focus on sustainability showed up in almost every list we read, and we’re happy to see it. This new generation of travelers is increasingly prioritizing hotels that make an effort to be sustainable. 

Sustainability in the hospitality industry has many components. At Narsi, we focus our efforts around energy, waste, and efficiency. Here are some of our tips that we’ve incorporated into our hotels:

• Utilize tankless hot water systems. They run up to 75% more efficiently than standard boilers and use a third of the amount of natural gas.
• Use cold water only in washing machines. 
• Order guest room amenities in bulk sizes, reducing the amount of waste that goes to the landfills. 
• Utilize wi-fi enabled thermostats in hotel public spaces to ensure consistent temperatures in buildings. This reduces energy usage and prolongs the life cycle of HVAC equipment. 
• Implement a recycling program
• Use a dry foam carpet cleaning system. This uses a minimal amount of water and prolongs the life of carpeting by up to 40%, thus reducing waste to landfills.

2. Increased “Bleisure” Travel

Bleisure is simply mixing business and leisure travel! The modern business traveler is known to extend their stay to incorporate some personal-time on their trips. Why not, right? Studies show that 60% of all business trips are now turning into bleisure trips.

While we still aren’t seeing as many as before the pandemic, we have had a recent increase in business travelers in comparison to leisure travelers. We will be interested to see how this ratio falls in 2023!

3. Further Personalized Guest Experiences

Another common theme across publications has been the call for increased personalization for consumers. Guests are expecting personalized experiences more than ever before. While this is relevant in most industries right now, there are different ways that hotels can customize their guests’ stay. 

Here are a few ways that we like to personalize a guest’s stay with us:

• Include even the smallest of guest preferences into your hotel database. Taking the extra time to ensure a guest receives a preferred room number or a special amenity makes a huge difference in the quality of stay. 
• Learn your guest’s name and use it when addressing them.
• Go out of your way to ask their preferences, such as a feather-free room or extra coffee.
• Take the time to celebrate moments like a guest’s birthday, anniversary, or other significant life event.

4. Smart Technology in Hotels

Smart tech is on the rise and was especially accelerated by the recent pandemic. From mobile check-in to thermostat controls, everything is now on our phones. While Narsi has implemented elements of self-service tech in our hotels, we strongly believe that technology can never replace human connection. 

In our opinion, technology should be used to enhance the guest experience, not completely replace a smiling face at the front desk. To learn our full take on self-service technology in hotels, check out our blog on the subject! 

5. The Return of Social Spaces in Hotels

Since the pandemic, many social components of a guest’s stay are returning for 2023. From hotel bars to common areas, guests are wanting to interact in social spaces again. At Narsi Hotels, we have observed more and more guests utilizing the bar spaces and participating in evening welcome receptions. Many of our guests are even requesting a heightened experience with more craft cocktails and specialty offerings. 

We look forward to seeing what the next year will bring not only for Narsi, but for our industry as a whole. These predicted trends are positive changes that will progress us forward, and we can’t wait to be a part of it!

About Narsi Properties

Narsi Properties is a private family-owned Hotel Development & Management company based in North Carolina. Founded in 1978 on principles of trust, authenticity, and family, we take pride in our community, guests, and team members as the cornerstones of our company values. Our philosophy of positive reinforcement ensures a comfortable and unique experience for hotel guests, in turn reassuring our investors and stakeholders of our consistent reliability and superior performance.