Tips Want to fill rooms? Get your offers in front of baby boomers (and their families) ASAP.

As I type this my 3-time cancer surviving mother is getting her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. We’ve all been extra cautious to keep her extra safe. But now that the risk to her will go down significantly? We’re already making plans as a family.

Turns out, this story is repeating itself by the millions all over the country right now.

Boomers + Vaccines = Bookings

As Tom Foley, our SVP of Analytics, pored over the data with the help of our BI Team, he began to notice a very strong correlation between two things (which he covered in yesterday’s One-Minute Insight):

• The number of first vaccine doses being administered (green bars below)
• The number of bookings (black bars) through Inntopia Commerce

That correlation prompted our BI team to dig further into the data, which is pointing all fingers to vaccinated baby boomers as driving the most recent booking patterns. Note that these boomers are not waiting to be fully vaccinated. Getting that first dose alone is enough for them – and their families – to feel more confident in making plans together and booking those trips they’d been dreaming of for the last year.

This chart represents two areas of Inntopia’s expertise – our BI team reading trends within Commerce booking data – so let’s dig into the opportunity this presents on the marketing side.

Build a List of Boomers

The first, and most obvious, is that you should spin up a boomer-specific segment in the database and get these synced to all your key channels, but especially email where you’ll have the best chance of reaching them. A few traits you could use to get a large, accurate group might be:

• Age of 65+ (most states are following the CDC guidelines of recommending 65+ get vaccines first)
• Has purchased a Senior-related product in the past (pass, lodging deal, ticket, etc.)
• Age Range (a field we get from data appends that’s available in case we don’t have “Age”)

Worry Less About Lead Time

You’re aware of the correlations between lead-time and length-of-stay, especially for key markets, but our data suggest you can largely ignore these right now. Folks are ready to travel and it will likely be the timing of their second dose that impacts travel dates much more than how far away they are or how long they hope to stay.

Move Quickly

Doses are being administered rapidly across the country, especially among boomers. According to the New York Times, over 50 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine already and some states are even suggesting they’ll have more vaccines than demand in the coming months. Colorado has already vaccinated 70% of those 70+. Getting something rolling immediately will be essential to capitalize on this trend.

Focused, Then Broad

Get in front of the boomers quickly, but then go broader with your message and push. Families have wanted to gather for the better part of a year and the kids can drive these decisions just as much as the grandparents.

Talk to Your Account Manager

As I mentioned earlier, this is a perfect illustration of why we have BI, Commerce, and Marketing under one roof. We can spot trends, reach the people likely to act, and then efficiently capture that demand.

So reach out to your account manager and talk through this one. Your strategy will likely vary slightly depending on your season, database, and current occupancy outlook, but your account manager can help you navigate each of these strategies in a way that’s best suited for your business.

Not a client? Reach out, we’d love to talk through these trends with you and your team.