Travel experiences: Complete guide for small hotels

What are travel experiences?

Travel experiences are activities and moments sought by travellers when exploring new places and cultures. Hotels serve as the central base for these experiences, providing not just accommodation, but also guidance for regional exploration. The most memorable travel experiences are powered by local knowledge, where small independent hoteliers can showcase unique activities both within their property and throughout the surrounding area, creating lasting memories that drive guest loyalty and repeat visits.

In this guide we’ll take a closer look at travel experiences: what they are, why they’re important, and how your hotel can use them to win more guests and make more money.

Why do travel experiences matter for guests?

The experiences of your guests matter because they determine whether a guest visits your destination and your hotel again in the future. When you ensure everyone enjoys the best possible experience, you create loyal return customers. These guests are incredibly valuable, because you don’t have to convince them to come again. As a result, retaining a past customer is some 5-25x cheaper than acquiring a new one.

The best travel experiences lead guests to spend more with you, and this trend is only becoming more pronounced in younger travellers: 52% of Gen Z report splurging on experiences versus 29% of Baby Boomers.

By crafting great travel experiences you’ll also encourage satisfied guests to tell the world about their trip, by posting on socials, leaving a glowing review for your hotel, and sharing their travel experience with their friends and family. As a result, you’ll enjoy the significant business that can come from the most trusted and effective form of marketing: word of mouth.

Key takeaways:

• Offering a great experience increases the chances of turning guests into loyal customers.
• Retaining customers costs far less than acquiring new ones.
• Positive experiences drive business through word-of-mouth.

What are the top 10 travel experiences guests want in 2025? 

Global tourism is on the rise. There were 1.4 billion international arrivals in 2024, +11% compared to 2023. But while the pie is increasing in size, it’s up to you to ensure your hotel secures its slice. Providing great travel experiences is perhaps the best way to do so. But what exactly is the modern traveller looking for?

The top 10 travel experiences in 2025 are those that offer a unique angle and a sense of adventure to well-trodden tourist paths:

1. Torres del Paine, minus the hiking: The famous park in Patagonia is best known for the W trek, a five-day hike to the stunning towers at its centre. But there are an ever-increasing number of travellers looking for a more relaxing experience, and an ever-increasing number of hotels servicing them. 
2. An Ubud matcha and yoga retreat: Matcha is having its moment in the sun, and in the central Balinese tourist hub of Ubud, health-conscious Gen Zers from across the globe are taking the opportunity to reset their bodies and minds through a combination of the green stuff and exercise.
3. Akumal’s laid-back kayak tours: In a Mexican beach town famous for its sand-loving sea turtles, more and more travellers are experiencing the endless sea life on display by paddling in the region’s calm bays.
4. Sahara under the stars, no camel trek: Morocco’s luxury desert camps trade what used to be a multi-day camel journey for a drive-in, drive-out experience in which you soak up the silence, the stars and the local Berber hospitality in total luxury.
5. Mekong mornings, minus the crowds: Private sunrise cruises on Vietnam’s delta offer scenery with a healthy serving of serenity by avoiding the bustling day tours.
6. Lake Annecy for the cheese lovers: Half of all travellers rank culinary experiences as their top travel focus. Another hiking spot that does luxury right, this French alpine region is the perfect place to unwind in a chalet while pairing slow-melted raclette and local wine with the stunning mountain views.
7. The northern lights, glass igloo style: Nestled amongst the barren yet beautiful landscapes of Hella, Aurora Igloo Iceland offers a spectacular and perfectly comfortable way to drink in the northern lights, as well as hot cocoa delivered to your door.
8. Cappadocia picnic rides: Famous for its dawn balloons, experiencing Cappadocia on earth can be every bit as awe-inspiring. A guided Jeep tour can see you rolling through the stunning fairy chimney landscape – ideal for those who might prefer to stay grounded.
9. Tashirojima cat island: The small and quirky Japanese island of Tashirojima is a haven for fans of felines. Friendly cats took over the island long ago – spurred on by loving locals – and now rule the roost. The hikes and ocean views are more than enticing too.
10. Big Buddha, cable car edition: Hong Kong’s iconic statue is a classic hike, but many modern travellers are now trading the stairs for the new sky gondolas, scoring epic views minus the sweat.

How can I create the best travel experiences for my small hotel?

Small hotels can create exceptional travel experiences by focusing on curated, authentic offerings that leverage local knowledge and limited resources strategically. Despite resource constraints, independent hoteliers can excel by offering group experiences, VIP packages, adventure activities, and unique local gems that larger hotels can’t match. The key is being selective about what you offer while ensuring each experience showcases your destination’s authentic character and creates memorable moments for guests.

Quick facts on the importance of the guest’s travel experience:

• Offering unique experiences will earn you more: wellness tourists, for example, spend 130%-177% more than average tourists.
• Carefully curated experiences grant you access to new demographics, like younger travellers looking for more authentic, community-based activities.
• Great experiences lead to great reviews, which in turn lead to more business, as 81% of travellers review guest feedback before booking.

Below are just some of the great travel experiences small hotels can provide guests:

Group travel experiences

Aim to delight smaller, more manageable groups with experiences that allow them to better experience your destination or hotel together. Create packages for family reunions, group trips and small corporate retreats.

VIP travel experiences  

Travellers see a trip as a chance to treat themselves. By offering high-value, VIP experience packages – private tours, partnerships with luxury local businesses, premium in-room services – your boutique hotel can increase the value of every guest, while making their trip all the more memorable.

Crazy travel experiences

Many people view travel as more about adventure than relaxation, so offering horse riding, surfing classes, ATV adventures or any number of other exciting activities can help you to lure in the go-getters and adrenaline junkies.

Unique travel experiences

With popular travel experiences becoming ever more ubiquitous and sanitised, tourists, particularly younger travellers, are starting to prioritise more unique and authentic activities. Capitalise on your local knowledge by showcasing unknown gems in your region, from secret sites to local produce.

Key takeaways:

• Unique experiences attract high-spending, adventure-seeking travellers.
• Great guest experiences drive positive reviews and bookings.
• Small hotels can excel with curated, authentic local offerings.

After using Little Hotelier, we saw an increase in bookings compared to never using the system. I highly recommend property owners to try Little Hotelier and they will know that it’s really good!

Maneerat Wiriyarat,

Owner

Long N Joy Samui Apartment Service

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How can small hotels promote travel experiences to guests?

There are a number of ways a small, independent hotel can promote travel experiences. You can showcase curated activities during the direct booking process, mention them at check-in, advertise them at the front desk, and leave pamphlets in each room.

Guests increasingly prioritise experiences over accommodation alone. By packaging and advertising activities such as private tours, food tastings or adventure sports, you make life easier and the trip more enjoyable for a guest.

Along with mentioning your experiences at key touchpoints – booking, check-in, any guest interactions  – it’s also worth partnering with local businesses to create unique travel experiences, as they can promote the experience too.

Little Hotelier can help in this effort. Our direct booking engine grants you total control over the booking process, so you can include extra experiences that might interest a guest, and that they can pre-book then and there.

And with automation saving you valuable time on every booking, you and your staff are freed up to both enhance the guest’s in-house experience, and upsell them to enticing add-on experiences.