Hospitality as a Subscription (HaaS): The next disruption
As life and economies slowly recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic many companies look at the current landscape and may wonder on how to prepare for the return and the future of Travel. Las Vegas, Nevada did suffer the brunt of an unforgivable 2020. As one of the most impactful generational crisis of our time, we learned some profound lessons for which I hope will allow us to better prepare for the next pandemic for which may not present itself as forgiven.
I believe that Hospitality as a Subscription has an opportunity to entrench itself in our day-to-day business activities. As such, one may consider that many industries have moved to a subscription based model for which services and in some cases products requires monthly or annual payments. Fittingly, I foresee that hospitality bound companies such as MGM Grand, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resort might see a benefit in the establishment of a room and or stay subscription model for which would help reduce room churn and increase annual yield.
Although this business model might not appeal to older generations, I see a value for millennials and generation Z for which have already adopted the subscription model and have embraced simpler lives and more calibrated spending habits.
“The true benefit of a hospitality subscription based model comes down to one thing: Limitless Customization options for your customers”
We could imagine a yearly subscription model for which we could have several tiers and start at $50 (Standard), $75 (Premium) and $100 (Platinum) per month. These packages would offer a five day stay at any locations offers by the aforementioned hoteliers. Obviously the packages would include different room size, extended amenities and a few exclusive perks for the higher tiers. The hoteliers could also allow the subscriber the option to share or resell their subscription. In addition, large hospitality brokers like AirBnb, Expedia and bookings.com might even see a benefits to offer such options themselves.
I would like to also address one of the main disadvantages of any subscription model. How does the business manages subscribers that decide to cancel their subscriptions before the year ends? Well, as a progressive business owner you might decide to include cancelation tiers for which still provide the subscriber an added incentive to conduct business with your company. As an example, we could have the tiering process to center around 90, 180 and 270 days. During that time, you would allow the customer to accumulate a sensible and viable set of benefits in the like of Food and Beverages, discounted shows, gambling free play or free limo pickup. I have a vivid imagination and I came up with over 300 options across 8 categories to incentivize subscribers, so the only limitation will come down to your own imagination.
What about older generations, older generations adopted the subscription model well over 35 years ago with the TimeShare industry. That said, TimeShares have a more complex subscription model for which in many cases have decades long ownership; in addition the TimeShare industry requires customers to enter into a contractual agreement and in some cases the customer must bear additional yearly cost. I believe that the TimeShare industry has an opportunity to reconsider their current business model especially for newer generations.
In closing, I have the strong conviction that a few Entrepreneurs and startups will leap ahead of me and will make a case for “Hospitality as a Subscription (HaaS) as the next Disruptor in the Travel industry”.
You can find me on Twitter @thinkahead
Sincerely,
Eric Saint-Marc
