There’s gold in the ‘silver’ market, but are hotels doing enough to attract the surging mature age travel sector?
Mortgage-free senior travellers with high-disposable income is seeing a surge in mature travel. Is your hotel capitalising on this?
When you look at most hotel promotional material, grey hair is not a feature of the imagery. In fact, it is usually non-existent.
But the statistics and optics suggest this is a major oversight.
While the perception of the mature travel market amongst some young marketers might be of bus travel and motels, anyone who travels internationally will know that a large majority of passengers ‘turning left’ towards premium, business and first-class cabins are far more likely to be retirees than Tik Tok devotees.
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Retirees are more likely to be mortgage-free, possess significant accumulated wealth and disposable income and prioritise quality, comfort, and premium experiences over budget, while making the best use of their time
Even with the proposed taxation changes announced in the recent Federal Budget, retirees’ purchasing power is likely to remain resilient as term deposit interest, dividends, bonds and other financial products appreciate. The senior market’s appetite for travel is reflected in the Grey Gap Year Report 2025, part of the Australian Seniors Research Series.
The report found:
- Nearly two in five (39 percent) Australian seniors had their last ‘big’ holiday in the past year—a significant jump from less than one in five (18 percent) in 2022.
- Nearly two in three (64 percent) feel comfortable using their retirement savings for travel
- More than two in five (43 percent) seniors believe creating travel memories is more important than leaving a financial inheritance.
The challenge for the Australian tourism industry and local hotels is to provide enough incentive for this growing cohort to spend their money in their own backyard rather than on business class airfares to London and European river cruises.
Beyond the attraction of their disposable income, seniors, unlike younger demographics, are not bound by school holidays or rigid work schedules. They are ideal guests for filling off-peak seasons and driving mid-week occupancy.
Seniors also tend to travel for longer durations, booking extended stays which lowers customer acquisition costs and boosts RevPAR.
Key needs and preferences of the seniors market
The silver traveller wants comfortable rooms and in many instances are comfortable to pay for superior rooms or suites, dining with a distinctive local flavour, spa or wellness facilities, and experiences, both within the hotel and in the vicinity.
In-hotel cooking classes or demonstrations, curated art experiences, regular yoga and pilates sessions will give the hotel a competitive advantage. Hotels that can facilitate ‘in the know’ local tours can increase length of stay, while targeted offers of upgrades to take advantage of the executive lounge and other privileges can substantially increase yield.
This silver demographic values personalised service and authentic human connection so making it easy to contact the hotel by phone or email for special requests can be an important priority. Making in-room technology seamless benefits all guests, but especially senior travellers.
Seniors use travel agents more than younger travellers, but a hotel with a welcoming concierge and helpful reception can win over guests to direct bookings and loyalty club membership.
Hotels should also consider the requirements associated with the growth in intergenerational solo travel and extended family group travel. Offering greater flexibility in room inventory, having a restaurant layout suited to solo travellers and extended family groups, will all pay dividends in growing market share.
The days of seeing mature age travel as a niche market should be well and truly over. The market’s growing size, purchasing power, travel patterns, and resilience in the face of cost-of-living pressures should make them a priority market for hotels.
The success of Luxury Escapes is testament to the potential of targeting the Baby Boomer and Generation X cohorts, which make up the largest percentage of their customer base.
Related AccomNews article: What Project Sunrise reminds us about modern travellers
For instance, the silver traveller favours large advertisements in newspapers, which are still traditionally read by seniors on weekends, and their research suggests a well-targeted offer can make phones ring.
Hotels can learn from their successful strategy of offering high-end, stress-free options including curated tours, all-inclusive packages and value adds.
This is a golden age for ‘silver’ tourism and hotels that invest in understanding and addressing their specific needs and aspirations can stand out from the crowd and build powerful guest loyalty and repeat visitation.
