I recently came across a  fantastic source of information for online marketing opportunities in the hotel travel trade

Its a US study by Google and OTX of 5000 travellers – but is still relevant for UK

Some pointers within I would highlight

• The Internet is the top source for hotel research
• Family, friends, or colleagues are also number 2 and of course social media is increasingly the tool of choice to discuss these elements Ie – here are pics of my holidayWant to go somewhere nice and warm this year And so on – are all things we see every day with friends on social platforms

• Nearly 3 in 4 affluents book hotels online
• What’s interesting here is that under 10% actually call the hotel to book

• 97% of Leisure travellers price compare
• 98% of Affluent travellers price compare
• So those with the more money choose more so to shop around for the best prices

• 72%  of Affluents consider past hotel experiences
• This intimates that Affluent customers are your best repeat customers

• No 1 outcome – Make it is convenient for consumers to reserve their hotel stay with a simple, easily accessible booking engine
• When’s the last time you tried to book a room on your own booking form – try it and see how good an experience it is (or not) and then remember that 75% of your best customers will be doing exactly the same thing

You can download the full pdf document here