Residence Inn, Under Armour Team Up To Win Millennials

The future may be bright, as they say, but figuring out millennials is a running task. With millennials being the future, much research has been done to figure out how they think, what they want and how they purchase and pay for things. They’re buying more gift cards than ever before, they like free food (who doesnt?) — especially if it comes via app — and they’re not buying homes at the same levels as earlier generations. They’re adventurous and social but love social media and social enterprise. And of course, they’re attached to their technology (namely, their smartphone).

But how to reach millennials is a question many companies face as they look to the future of their consumer.

Marriott’s Residence Inn is charging forward and teaming up with Under Armour to tap into what millennials need and want when they travel. Millennials are quickly becoming the largest share of the American workforce, and business travel is a significant portion of that work life. In fact, 56 percent of millennials have traveled for business over the past year. Residence Inn said one-third of its business rooms are booked for an extended stay, with the average stay being two weeks.

And they tend not to separate leisure and business travel.

So, Residence Inn has worked with Under Amour to develop travel benefits focused on this newer hotel patron. The partnership has plotted out specially designed jogging routes from and around 700 of its properties in nine countries. Guests access the routes through Under Armour’s MapMyFitness app, downloadable on both iOS and Android devices.

Residence Inn has taken another step into post-run activities by hosting an evening social “Mix” that includes craft beer tastings, food truck offerings and BBQ grill parties. The hotel chain said millennials want to exercise, socialize and see the cities they visit, but they also want personalization.

Residence Inn said its goal is to provide a mingling of business and leisure, while being a venue and opportunity for these business travelers to have some of the comforts of home while promoting the exploratory nature of experiencing a new city.

The hotel chain said those programs, to date, have been successful, touting a boost in the number of millennial travelers. That boost has helped bump up business across the board as occupancy rates are up 25 percent compared to its competitors.