Hip hotels attracting millennial travelers

When Paige Woodburn chooses a hotel, she steers towards the modern and hip. The twenty-something, frequent traveler looks for trendy places with an internet connection.

"When you stay at a hotel that's not as plugged in, you definitely feel the pain," Woodburn said.

That's something hotels are noticing. Tech-savvy travelers, like Woodburn, 18-to-36, now make up about 43 percent of guests.

"If hotels were to miss out on this age group, they would basically be missing out on the future of hoteling," said Daniel Levine, a hotel trends expert. "What they're doing is really changing the hotel experience from check-in to check-out."

The future of hotels includes "digital wonderlands," Levine said. Every bed in a room may have a TV, or hotels may offer in-room laptop safes and personal tablets.

Some hotels even feature interactive table tops in the lobby, while others allows guests to check in on a touch screen kiosk or app.

A W Hotels property plans to substitute smartphones for room keys. Another boutique hotel is offering wi-fi that travels with the guest outside.

With all these cutting-edge and contemporary changes, will the classic hotel model still exist?

"It's not like all hotels, all of the sudden, in the future are going to be like this. There's going to be different brands that are catering to different people," Levine said.

Hotels geared toward millennials may also be less expensive and smaller than a traditional hotel. That's because hotels want people to enjoy their larger common areas.

Some other well-known chains making changes geared toward millennial-aged travelers include Marriott and Radisson hotels.