Marriott International partnered with Hurun Research Institute to study this year’s luxury travel trends in the Chinese market. The report shows significant changes for Chinese millennial travellers. According to the study, Chinese millennials are traveling more and more, an average of one leisure trip every three or four months, and spending an average of RMB420,000 on tourism each year, in addition to RMB220,000 on shopping while abroad. They look for more luxurious experiences and demand the latest technology, especially during the planning process, which they prefer to do all digitally, using mobile devices. WeChat is a popular source for travel information, as are C-Trip, Qunar and Tuniu. “Despite the economy slowing, the impact on outbound travel from high net worth individuals seems to have steadily grown,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher, Hurun Research Institute. “The young luxury travellers have developed significant spending firepower, minted on the back of the recent boom in Chinese entrepreneurship, together with a growing class of second generation rich kids.” Chinese millennial travellers average a budget of RMB3,100 per night at luxury hotels. They have been to 13 countries over their lives, traveling internationally about three times each year, for a total of 25 days, about two-thirds of which is strictly leisure travel. Europe is their favourite destination, particularly France for luxury shopping. Otherwise, Japan is also a favourite. Most travel in groups of four, on average, with either family or friends. New travel trends for Chinese millennials projected to grow substantially over the next three years include polar exploration and road trips. When choosing a hotel, this affluent, young group prefers properties known for quality, personalized service over all else, with room cleanliness following close behind. They like to customize their stay through options such as pillow menus, in-room technology and butler service. When choosing an airline, Air China captures more than half the audience, with China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines falling behind. Lufthansa is preferred for international flights. Marriott plans to use the compiled research to better serve this important group of Asian travellers. “We are responding to the desire for personalized luxury and services by evolving our loyalty program Marriott Rewards, which goes far beyond hotel-level perks. Elite Member benefits now include tailored VIP access to rewarding experiences such as culinary demonstrations, concerts and catwalks, the NBA Global Games in China and lots more,” said Peggy Fang Roe, chief sales and marketing officer, Asia Pacific, Marriott International. “We are also piloting a new hospitality program called Li Yu which is tailored specifically for our Chinese guests, with Mandarin-speaking personalized assistance and service across our hotels to make them feel at home, wherever they go.”