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The Age of Impatience:
What Hotels Need To Do To Convert Lookers Into Bookers
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London, UK – June 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Getting the look, feel and price right on a hotel website has never been more important.

Not only is today’s generation Internet savvy, they are also seriously impatient. Speaking on the subject of mobile apps at EyeforTravel’s European Travel Distribution Summit last month, TUI’s director of mobile strategy, John Boughton said that with customers of today, you have just two chances to get it right. And if your app takes longer than three seconds to load, chances are you’re destined for the trash bin.

That view is backed up by new research, which gathered views from over a thousand people that use hotel and OTA websites, which is compiled in a new e-book from Triptease. What its research finds is that 94% of people have abandoned a website recently because of a poor user experience.

So, wherever your online presence, it’s more important than ever for travel brands to give customers the information they want at the time of booking in order to secure those all important conversions. That means carefully thinking through the customer experience while they are using your website.

And here is the good news: if you get it right, 72% of people would book directly with the hotel if they were sure they could get the best deal, the survey findings reveal.

So what is it exactly that customers want? Here are eight tips.

1. Make it simple, short and clean

94% of people have abandoned a booking online recently, 29% because of factors related to the system being used.

2. Photos and video count

The best hotels ‘show’ don’t ‘tell’ and 70% of people today rely on photos to learn about a hotel. Given today’s snap happy travellers, there is also an opportunity to harness user-generated content from social media sites. Virtual tours are also a helpful way to show people around your hotel or restaurant. Needless to say Google has jumped on board here to provide Google Business View, which it claims can lead to a 30% higher click through rate.

3. Show lots of dates

71% of people agreed that being shown prices on dates either side of the ones they’ve selected is useful to them. It’s also important to make it easy for prospective guests to select dates with, for example, drop down menus. Once the check-in date has been entered

4. Currency matters

53% of people said they are frustrated being shown prices in the wrong currency; they want to see their own. This is a good reason to understand where your users are coming from and using auto-location software is one way to achieve this.
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17th Annual TDS North America 2015
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5. Tell me I’ve made a good choice

There are lessons to take from the OTAs on this front, which constantly tell you how much they are saving you. Guests love reassurance that they have paid the cheapest price, so show them how much they have saved. Lennert de Jong of Citizen M Hotels, who contributed to the e-book,says it’s really important to show guests the best deal available.

6. People want to know what else they could have

68% of people said it was useful when they are shown what add-ons they can pay for during the booking process. For hotels think spa, dinner in the hotel restaurant, breakfast in bed. Ancillary revenues are crucial to hotels’ bottom line, so for loyal customers this presents a real opportunity. As EyeforTravel’s recent research finds that hotels should be combining loyalty data with transactional data about customers previous ancillary spend to give them a competitive edge against OTAs.

7. Shorten the delay in gratification

Payment doesn’t spell the end. There is a growing view that engaging with the guest in the run up to their stay can, if done correctly and not too intrusively, strengthen the brand relationship. If your guest is coming from another country, advice on the best way to get from the airport can be very useful. Guests will also welcome inspiration and tips about what to do in destination, providing it is relevant. Also be sure to acknowledge the guest post-trip, to encourage them to post a review or share feedback. Nearly a quarter of British holidays will post a review on TripAdvisor, according to research from WebLoyalty, which finds that a nearly half of UK consumers (43%) rely on the site for recommendations

8. Facilitate Facebook login

26% of people told us they would log in using Facebook on a hotel’s website if it were available. Since travel is the most shareable category on Facebook, this presents an opportunity for you to understand more about your guest. With Facebook announcing Messenger Business earlier this year it’s clear there will be new communication channels for hotel brands to use to create better connections with guests in the future.

For more information on how to improve your website experience download the Triptease e-book or sign up on EyeforTravel for 700 hours of transcribed and fully searchable industry audio and video, industry insight and original research.

Upcoming Event:
17th Annual TDS North America 2015
October 19-20 | The Bellagio Las Vegas

About EyeforTravel Ltd.
Founded in 1997, EyeforTravel Ltd. is a leading business intelligence provider for the online travel industry. EyeforTravel drives forward innovation in the online travel industry through news, conferences, research and reports.

View/Download EyeforTravel's editorial calendar for 2015 here

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Placement Dates: 06/23/15 – 08/23/15
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