A Look Back at How the 'Silent Travelers' of 2014 Influenced the Entire Travel Industry

25.08.2023 - 13:45 / skift.com / Rashaad Jorden

A 2014 Skift Research report projected that “silent travelers,” namely younger consumers who turned to their mobile devices first to obtain solutions to problems, would upend the travel industry.

To a substantial extent, they did.

Skift argued at the time that silent travelers were using mobile tech to augment and even replace the traditional in-person customer service staff that travel brands historically relied on.

Look no further today than the hotel industry’s emphasis on pushing more customer service features through smartphone apps, the bypassing of front desks at many hotels, and even the proliferation of chatbots, generative AI-powered or not, as accommodations to the rise and maturing of the silent traveler of 2014.

The push to get hotel guests to use smartphone apps and the travel habits of Millennials are having a long-term impact on how properties get developed. Lobbies, fitness centers and even facilities that only employees use were poised to see renovations in large part due to the contactless craze.

And that attachment to mobile devices has only grown stronger, with one survey finding that Millennial travelers would rather lose their luggage on a trip than their mobile phones. A Google study revealed 71 percent of U.S. travelers frequently use their smartphones when traveling. In addition, the same study found 48 percent of U.S. travelers are comfortable researching, planning and booking an entire trip to a new travel destination using only a smartphone.

So with travel brands exponentially increasing their marketing efforts to attract the growing number of mobile-first travelers, is there still such a thing as a silent traveler?

“I think the phenomenon of the silent traveler is still very much in existence, although we don’t really refer to it as such,” said Skift Head of Research Wouter Geerts. “The main thing is that of course this generation that was up and coming in 2014 is now really finding its spending power and has a growing impact on travel bookings.”

Geerts added that “Millennials are, or will soon be, the largest generation in many countries, and the travel industry has been transforming to ensure they can attract this generation. This means a greater focus on online reachability, a different approach to marketing, and greater personalization in return for customer data.” 

Here’s a look a further look at how the travel industry adapted to mobile-first travelers and their preferences.

Skift Research in 2014 cited Delta Air Lines as one company that engaged with the silent traveler. The report mentioned that smartphone- and tablet-equipped customers represented 20 percent of the carrier’s airport check-ins in the two and a half years after it had launched its mobile app.