How Five Guest Segments and Skillcations Reshape Leisure Demand

Emerging leisure guest segments are transforming hotel packaging into tailored, value-driven experiences that combine clear pricing, targeted upgrades, and hands-on educational activities. Instead of booking generic packages, travelers now seek distinct benefits ranging from loyalty perks and quiet rooms to structured learning trips that offer tangible skills such as cooking or cheese making.

How do luxury travelers define premium value?

Premium leisure travel consists of five distinct groups rather than a uniform market, according to research by L.E.K. Consulting reported by Asian Hospitality [1]. L.E.K. identified Affluent comfort-seekers, Effortless empty-nesters, Aspirational young families, Strategic splurgers, and Independent explorers [1]. L.E.K. Managing Director and study co-author Claire Morgan stated that brands that succeed must clarify which guests they serve and deliver on what those guests prioritize [1].

Affluent comfort-seekers represent older, high-income couples who value ease during trips, such as lie-flat seats and quiet rooms [1]. Some 47 percent of this segment spend more than $10,000 annually on personal travel [1]. Effortless empty-nesters are older couples who prioritize certainty over prestige [1]. They seek transparent pricing and attentive service, and Asian Hospitality noted they are the least digitally active segment, with only 33 percent using AI to plan trips [1].

Aspirational young families focus heavily on status and loyalty incentives [1]. About 64 percent of this group view airline miles and hotel points as highly important, yet they remain among the least likely to rebook the same hospitality brand [1]. Strategic splurgers are younger, middle-income guests who cut costs on transit to spend more at the destination, though they leave brands quickly following a single poor experience [1]. Independent explorers are young, solo, lower-budget travelers pursuing authentic experiences while displaying the highest digital engagement [1].

L.E.K. Managing Director and co-author Neil Mittal explained that across all five segments, travelers worry premium products do not justify their rates [1]. Guests are demanding noticeable improvements in quality, service, convenience, or access [1].

What are skillcations and who books them?

Skillcations are trips structured around learning a new skill, a concept drawing interest from 47 percent of Americans, according to a separate joint study by IHG Hotels & Resorts and Talker Research [2]. The study of 1,000 Americans found that 68 percent believe these educational trips could be life-changing [2].

Younger demographics drive this educational travel format [2]. According to IHG, 41 percent of Gen Z and Millennials have taken a skillcation, compared to 16 percent of Baby Boomers [2]. Furthermore, 68 percent of respondents expressed interest in a complete digital detox [2]. Millennial interest in digital detoxes reaches 77 percent, while Gen Z interest hits 83 percent [2].

IHG Vice President for Global Storytelling Gemma Bull noted that memorable trips are increasingly defined by the skills and stories guests share after returning home rather than the property alone [2].

How should hotels package skillcation itineraries?

Hotels can package skillcation itineraries around culinary arts and regional crafts to satisfy experiential demand [2]. Cooking is the most popular choice, with 37 percent of travelers wanting to build trips around culinary instruction [2].

IHG currently provides more than 100 on-property and multi-day experiences across six continents, ranging from complimentary offerings to paid multi-day workshops [2]. Examples include pie-making classes at Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel in California, alpine cheesemaking at Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland, and Balinese cooking at Holiday Inn Resort Bali Nusa Dua in Indonesia [2]. Other active programs include music lessons, craft cocktail workshops, food fermentation, and coral reef restoration [2].

Packaging format matters to travelers [2]. Approximately 28 percent of surveyed guests prefer bundled packages that combine accommodations, lessons, and gear [2]. Among Gen X travelers, 35 percent favor these bundled options [2]. Cost remains a barrier, as 34 percent of respondents cite expense as a concern [2]. Beyond skill building, the survey noted that 27 percent of guests reported greater openness to new experiences, 27 percent gained confidence, and 26 percent found their travel felt more meaningful [2].

Which brands achieve strong leisure sentiment?

Brand sentiment varies across these emerging traveler groups, as measured by Net Promoter Scores in the L.E.K. study [1]. Delta Air Lines and Marriott International showed the widest appeal across all five premium cohorts [1]. Specific luxury operators, including The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, recorded strong support among specialized segments [1]. JetBlue generated strong scores among younger, price-conscious guests due to transparent pricing structures and premium offerings [1].

Alongside its guest experience programming, IHG reported financial gains for the six months ended June 30 [2]. The company posted a 4.1 percent increase in global RevPAR and a 10 percent rise in operating profit from reportable segments to $665 million [2].