AUSTRALIA | IHG has explored future travel planning at its South-by-South-West Sydney expo, largely focussed on innovative technology.
IHG Hotels & Resorts offered festival-goers and consumers a stress-free way to plan their next holiday at South-by-South-West Sydney (SXSW) October 14-20, thanks to innovative technology that taps into the subconscious mind. The aptly-named IHG Hotels & Resorts ‘Mind Lobby’ is a futuristic, experiential activation that launched on Sydney’s International Convention Centre Forecourt throughout the week-long event and sits at the heart of IHG’s official partnership with SXSW Sydney 2024.
Using cutting-edge eye-tracking technology, the IHG Hotels & Resorts Mind Lobby is a cinematic experience that tracks and monitors user’s reactions to image and video content of immersive travel destinations around the world. In less than 60 seconds, it reveals user’s true travel desires, uncovering the specific typology of holiday experience consumers truly crave, whether it’s a Culinary Indulgence, a City Escape, a Sundrenched Retreat, a Holistic Haven, or Remote Escapism.
The launch of the Mind Lobby follows new research from IHG Hotels & Resorts, revealing that Aussie travellers (61 percent) are feeling overwhelmed by important decisions. Surprisingly, choosing a holiday destination (41 percent) ranks among the top three biggest stressors, closely following starting a new job (57 percent) and planning a major family event (45 percent).
According to the data, two-in-five (38 percent) Aussie travellers find the future abundance of travel options more overwhelming compared to five years ago, with one-in-four (29 percent) feeling lost and uncertain when wading through the options, making it increasingly difficult to discover what they truly desire.
“IHG Hotels & Resorts has really carved its niche in the hospitality space by offering guests meaningful choice and exploring highly-differentiated ways for guests to show up and be themselves,” said Dean Jones, Vice President of Commercial, East Asia & Pacific for IHG.
“IHG’s Mind Lobby offers the perfect blend of allowing travellers to explore what they really want, while showcasing the very best of SXSW Sydney’s futuristic and innovative energy. We’re thrilled to be able to offer travellers a memorable space to explore their subconscious and then having a distinct and diverse portfolio of stay brands to make their dreams a reality.”
Consequently, the overwhelming number of decisions is fueling holiday blues among Aussie travellers, with only half (51 percent) feeling satisfied with their holiday decisions, even after spending an average of 24 hours planning their trips.
Some Aussie travellers (18 percent) admit they regret their travel decisions, with many feeling pressure to make quick decisions (34 percent), feeling rushed by too many choices (34 percent), picking a convenient choice instead of what they truly wanted (31 percent), or not looking into their future options as thoroughly as they would usually because there were too many options (29 percent).
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