UK hoteliers missing chance to build holiday makers excitement
UK hoteliers are missing the chance to build holidaygoers' sense of excitement at the time of booking a holiday.
That's according to TripAdvisor's assessment of its latest TripBarometer study, which focuses on the psychology of travel.
The fourth edition of the biannual study, conducted on behalf TripAdvisor by research firm Ipsos studied the emotions travellers (more than 53,000 globally and 3,448 in the UK) were most likely to feel at the five stages of travel: booking, arrival, during the stay, departure and back at home.
Meanwhile, the study also asked hoteliers what actions they took through the "traveller journey" to relate to their guests.
The study found that 62% of UK hoteliers said their main priority was to ensure a smooth and efficient process at booking.
But TripAdvisor pointed out that only 12% of UK hoteliers regarded providing guests with local information about their destination at the time of booking as a priority, while the same percentage said their priority was to make guests feel as though the holiday had already begun.
TripAdvisor said that when it came to global travellers, the main emotion they felt at the booking stage was one of excitement (54%) suggesting there was more UK hoteliers could do to take advantage of travellers' feeling of excitement.
However when The Caterer questioned TripAdvisor about how the survey of hoteliers was conducted, it emerged that they were only allowed to choose two "main priorities" from a list of eight, with "make guests feel reassured about their booking" coming in second with 56%:
For the UK, the results were as follows:
2. Make guests feel reassured about their booking - 56%
3. Make guests feel as though the holiday has already begun - 12%
4. Introduce guests to the hotel (e.g. its location and facilities) - 25%
5. Provide local information on the destination (e.g. weather) - 12%
6. Promote add on services to guests (e.g. transfers) - 1%
7. Provide additional travel suggestions (e.g. restaurant choices, attractions, itineraries) - 29%
8. Other - 2%
Globally, the results were strikingly similar to the UK:
1. Make the process as smooth and efficient as possible - 52%
2. Make guests feel reassured about their booking - 46%
3. Make guests feel as though the holiday has already begun - 16%
4. Introduce guests to the hotel (e.g. its location and facilities) - 31%
5. Provide local information on the destination (e.g. weather) - 14%
6. Promote add on services to guests (e.g. transfers) - 12%
7. Provide additional travel suggestions (e.g. restaurant choices, attractions, itineraries) - 27%
8. Other - 1%
