SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2025, the largest accommodation-specific consumer survey globally, has unveiled the everything traveller, the hotel guest whose evolved preferences and behaviours will define accommodation in the year ahead. Motivated by events, experience and purpose, and uncompromising about digital convenience, they leverage their tech savviness to seek meaningful on-site experiences while staying mindful of budgets.
As shown by the data from SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, no segment exemplifies this tendency more than guests booking luxury or boutique hotels in 2025, whose responses to SiteMinder’s survey have been isolated and analysed..
Everything travellers: Prepared to spend on what they value
Unsurprisingly, SiteMinder’s figures show that travellers seeking premium accommodation are the most likely guest segment to increase their travel budgets, with 59% intending to spend more than last year. Echoing SiteMinder’s findings about everything travellers generally, event travel is set to be a major driver of growth for luxury hotels, with 68% of travellers in this segment responding that they are more likely to travel for a specific occasion during the next 12 months than in the past year, in particular for family celebrations (34%), music events (34%) or sporting occasions (23%).
Luxury travellers are the group most supportive of dynamic pricing (72%) and the most likely to spend on extras, while almost two-thirds plan to spend significant time on-site. This reflects in equal measure their willingness to pay more for unforgettable moments and their expectations of an added value accommodation experience.
Millennials are expected to be key to these trends, as the most likely age group to book upscale stays next year (21%), while the other generations surveyed (Gen Z, Gen X, Baby Boomers, and Radio Babies) all fall in the 13–15% range.
According to SiteMinder’s data, the most important room features sought by guests booking high-end accommodation in 2025 will be a view (55%) and high-quality pillows and bedding (53%).
The add-ons this group is most willing to purchase include breakfast (51%), a view (37%), and additional space (36%), while airport transfers (34%) and flexible check-in/out (29%) are also valued.
It’s all about the experience
In terms of specific on-site experiences, everything travellers seeking upscale stays are most enthusiastic about spa treatments and gourmet food or drink experiences (43% each), with 38% desiring live music events. A connection to the local culture is also important, with 26% seeking cooking classes, 19% traditional dance or storytelling, and 15% language lessons. Reflecting their focus on wellness, 23% are looking for yoga or meditation options, and 21% are interested in sleep improvement programmes. And, with 45% of luxury travellers planning to work during their next trip, they will likely favour accommodation that facilitates this.
While less impacted by rising costs than other groups, only 27% of respondents in this category say this has no effect on their plans. Twenty percent expect to use package deals to optimise value for money—with 59% saying they are more likely to book as part of a package compared to last year—while 14% respectively will choose a cheaper room type or limit on-site spending.
James Bishop, SiteMinder’s Vice President of Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships, says: “Perhaps more than any other segment, guests seeking luxury and boutique accommodation in 2025 embody the everything traveller. While they are conscious of higher prices and use their increasing savviness to offset this, they’re also prepared to spend on what matters to them – an approach that’s been described as ‘save to spend’. Their growing preference for packages is a reflection of this, as is their willingness to spend more when it comes to specific events which motivate them to travel.”
Adds Bishop: “As luxury guests normalise the tailor-made experiences available to them in a data-driven digital economy, they increasingly expect to be able to personalise their stay and ensure they get exactly what they want for their money. By allowing for this, while ensuring they are included in packages by travel agents and tour operators and are aware of upcoming demand-driving events, hotels can capture their share of a growing market while maximising revenue.”
Empowered by technology, the everything traveller wants control
Aligning with broader trends identified by SiteMinder and characteristic of the everything traveller, guests planning to stay at luxury and boutique properties are increasingly digitally native. They expect a personalised and adaptable customer journey and have little patience for inefficiencies when researching, booking, or managing their interactions with a property.
Most guests seeking premium properties begin their search online, with 31% starting on search engines and 21% using OTAs, websites, or apps. They are also the most likely group to start their search on social media (14%), underlining the importance of a consistent and multi-platform online presence for hotels seeking their custom.
When booking, 49% of travellers in this category prefer third-party platforms such as OTAs, websites, or apps, and are less likely than other groups to book directly (23%), whether through a hotel’s website (16%) or by contacting the property directly (7%). Their top priorities when booking online are secure payment systems (53%), detailed location information (51%), guest reviews (47%), and visual content of rooms and properties (47%). However, over half have abandoned bookings due to a poor digital experience, with the main reasons being security concerns (22%), complex processes (18%) and long website load times (18%).
Everything travellers seeking high-end hotels are also the most likely segment to use AI during their guest journey. A majority (52%) plan to use AI to explore accommodation options, while 43% prefer to use it to communicate with their hotel prior to arrival and 36% during their stay. Only 16% are unwilling to use AI altogether.
Bishop comments: “As we see with everything travellers generally, guests at luxury and boutique hotels increasingly expect end-to-end control of their journey, from discovery to checkout. Their openness to AI also provides luxury hotels with a fantastic opportunity to automate processes while enabling their teams to focus on more valuable tasks.”
Concludes Bishop: “On the flip side, travellers in this category are currently less likely to book directly than other groups. To address this, hotels must deliver secure, seamless, and tailored digital experiences. By leveraging data to understand their guests’ increasingly sophisticated preferences and behaviour, and ensuring their systems are up to the task, luxury properties can boost revenue, reduce commissions, and foster loyalty in this highly valuable yet competitive market, driven increasingly by millennial travellers.”
