Cape Town, 17 June 2026 – Repeat visitation is reshaping hospitality strategy, with a clear shift from acquisition to retention. Research from Deloitte highlights a growing focus on loyalty and repeat engagement as key drivers of value in the sector.

Traveller behaviour is following the same trend. McKinsey & Company notes that guests are increasingly returning to familiar destinations to reduce planning complexity and decision fatigue, prioritising ease, predictability, and reassurance over novelty.

This pattern is also evident closer to home. Statistics South Africa data shows that domestic travel volumes reach tens of millions of day and overnight trips annually, with recent surveys recording more than 58 million such trips, highlighting the significant role of frequent, repeat travel in South Africa’s tourism landscape.

Globally, brands such as Aman Resorts and COMO Hotels and Resorts also consistently report strong return visitation across their portfolios, with loyalty and familiarity forming core parts of their guest experience. Similarly, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has long embedded detailed guest preference tracking to ensure continuity across stays, reinforcing a relationship-driven model of hospitality.

Within this context, hotels are moving beyond the ‘first impression’ model, with consistency, familiarity, and ease across stays becoming as important as novelty, and hospitality increasingly defined by ongoing relationships rather than single visits.

At Steenberg Hotel & Spa, this shift is already visible in guest behaviour, with strong repeat visitation driven by guests returning multiple times a year.

“We’re seeing a stronger trend toward shorter, more intentional stays, particularly among local and regional guests looking to reconnect, reset, and slow down without travelling far,” says Jessica Louw, Marketing Manager, Steenberg Hospitality. “Guests are increasingly returning multiple times throughout the year for weekends, wellness stays, dining experiences, celebrations, or simply time on the farm.”

She adds that travel is increasingly guided by familiarity and emotional connection rather than novelty. For many travellers, familiarity is less about repetition and more about reassurance.

“People are increasingly looking for places where they feel comfortable, looked after, and able to switch off,” says Louw. “Familiar destinations reduce planning pressure and uncertainty, and offer the comfort of positive memories, routines, and connection.”

This evolving relationship is reshaping what defines a successful stay. While first impressions remain important, long-term loyalty is increasingly built through consistency, trust, and emotional continuity.

“There has definitely been a shift,” says Louw. “Guests want experiences that feel personal, seamless and restorative, and they remember how a space made them feel long after the stay itself.”

Part of what supports this behaviour is the breadth of experience available within a single destination. With its combination of accommodation, dining, wine, spa experiences, and open landscapes, Steenberg Hotel & Spa allows guests to return for entirely different reasons each time.

“One of our strengths is that guests can experience the farm differently every time they visit,” says Louw. “Some return for wellness and quiet retreat experiences, others for dining and wine-focused weekends, while others simply come to reconnect with the landscape and slower pace of the Constantia Valley.”

Importantly, this behaviour is also supported by subtle variation across stays.

“Consistency is incredibly important in hospitality because it builds trust and comfort for returning guests,” Louw explains. “However, at the same time, there are subtle layers of discovery through evolving menus, seasonal treatments, changing landscapes, and the atmosphere the farm takes on across the year.”

This is also shaped by a more considered approach to hosting, where guest preferences are remembered and there is a focus on staying connected from arrival through to departure. It creates a sense of warmth and ease that makes the experience feel more like a home away from home, and a more curated, personal form of hospitality shaped around individual needs.

“Guests engage with the property in a much more relaxed and personal way,” says Louw. “They become familiar with the spaces, the team, and the rhythm of the farm, which creates a deeper sense of comfort and belonging.”

As repeat visitation grows in importance globally, hospitality is shifting from acquisition-led thinking to relationship-led travel. Familiarity, consistency, and trust are increasingly shaping guest choice, with value now defined less by one-off stays and more by return visits and ongoing engagement.

About Steenberg:

Steenberg Farm boasts the 5-Star Steenberg Hotel & Spa, one of 2025’s recipients of a Michelin Key in the ‘very special stay’ category and recently named one of the top ten hotels in Africa in Condé Nast’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. Its 24 rooms encapsulate the dictum of understated luxury, offering spectacular views and discreet, personalised service. Choose from relaxed dining at Tryn or popular bistro-style fare and tapas at Bistro Sixteen82. A complete destination, the farm houses an exceptional winery, producing some of the finest Sauvignon Blanc in South Africa, along with several other celebrated varietals.

Michelin Keys, considered the world’s answer to Michelin Stars, sets a new benchmark for stays that combine design, service, and soul. The Condé Nast 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards listed the best hotels across the continent, including luxury lodges from big-name brands to boutique boltholes across Northern and Southern Africa. Steenberg’s score of 98.0 represented the overall average level of satisfaction.