Traveling today has become an art both for Leisure and Business Travelers. Today this is an art that is performed on the Digital Arena.
It all starts with Research
Based on eMarketer’s forecast of digital and mobile travel researching and booking;
- 128.8 million People in the US will research travel on the internet this year, or 63.0% of internet users.
- 47.4% will do so via mobile.
- 52.0% of internet users will actually book travel online.
- 31.6% of the total who will book travel on their mobile devices
The largest increase in mobile travel research will take place from 2015 to 2016, eMarketer predicts, with the percentage of digital travel researchers using mobile rising from 54.6% to 62.2%. The number of digital travel researchers using mobile will increase to 85.6 million people by 2016 from 72.8 million predicted to use mobile next year. By 2018, more than 103 million people will use mobile to research travel.
Digital greatly influences travel planning from the very first stages of the consumer journey, with 65% of leisure travelers researching online before they even decide where or how to go.
Google research on Traveler’s Road to Decision shows that the road to decision still is complex, and travelers search activity is intensifying. And the internet is the top source both for leisure and business travelers.
Search Engines are still among the most popular online planning sources for travelers, particularly among leisure travelers.
Digital Media the new Inspiration resource
Travelers are today hugely relying on Social/Video/Photo sites and Search Engines for trip inspirations.
Family/Friends and Online sources are critical to Travel Inspirations. Today Social Media has a major impact on who is in the trusted “Circle of Friends”. YouTube is considered as the second largest search engine, and 42% of Travelers turns to YouTube for Inspirations.
- 65% view Videos when thinking about taking a trip
- 48% view Videos when thinking about what type of trip to take
- 61% view Videos when choosing a destination
Digital Hospitality = Accommodations
Mobile-centered hospitality is a sector that will undoubtedly be gaining strength in 2015, as Hilton joins Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International in introducing mobile room keys to its customers.
The technology enables guests to bypass the check-in desk in the lobby and go straight to their hotel rooms, which they will be able to unlock by holding their mobile device in front of a sensor.
Today’s emerging traveler, millennials, and millennial-minded travelers are more cost-conscious and experience-focused than ever before, whether traveling for business or leisure. To meet these changing demand preferences, hoteliers are seeking innovative alternatives to traditional lodging products.
Digital Booking the backdoor to Direct Booking
Both Leisure and Business Travelers primary prefer OTA for their superior site tools and options. And OTA is doing a great job connecting directly with customer’s wants and needs. And they utilize Social Proof to their advantage to appeal to the growing Millennial market segment.
While OTAs do wonder for filling rooms that might have stayed vacant otherwise, they often take a business that might have booked directly from hotels in the first place (and saved you the hefty OTA fee).
Many see OTAs as a Competitor. I use an approach where I see OTAs as an alternative. The challenges are to make Direct Booking a more appealing alternative.
Reviews increasingly drives Booking Decisions
Business and leisure travelers indicating the order of importance of various factors when booking:
Business traveler: review sentiment (positive or negative); brand; aggregate ratings; price; and finally review language (descriptive or emotional).
Leisure traveler: review sentiment (positive or negative); price; aggregate ratings; brand.
Some Hotel has experiments sentiments of reviews to set their price points. This can be rather subjective since the price alone will not fix any concerns.
This is why Reviews today is an important element in Hotels Reputation Management strategies.
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About the author
Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast
