Hotels would do well to consider the feelings of their customers during the online booking process when reviewing how well their websites work, according to one expert.
Research conducted by Ipsos for TripAdvisor suggests that 54 per cent of travellers mainly feel excitement when completing travel bookings, yet 62 per cent of hotel owners say their primary priority is to ensure a seamless transaction.
Similarly, 71 per cent of travellers say they are motivated by a desire to enhance their perspective through travel, yet 86 per cent of hoteliers want to create a sense of harmony among their customers.
Helen Egan, head of industry relations for TripAdvisor, says in an opinion piece for Tnooz that tapping into emotions like excitement and a sense of adventure during the booking process could do much to build relationships between customers and brands and potentially encourage repeat business.
“Hoteliers who are doing more to cater for travellers searching for a perspective-enhancing experience will have a chance to gain an edge on the competition,” she explains.
She added that insights like the ones revealed by the Ipsos study “can offer hoteliers a real edge in differentiating their offer, upping their game in all-round customer service from booking to staying, and ultimately in securing customer loyalty”.
Tapping into travellers’ emotions could be particularly beneficial when targeting customers who take a particularly long time to research and book their holidays.
Research by GfK’s travel practice suggests that so-called intensive research bookers look at aggregation sites 19 times on average during their research, and at supplier sites ten times and travel agency sites four times over a period as long as 25 weeks or more. In comparison, fast bookers seal the deal in less than four weeks.
Rewarding these travellers with a booking process that helps them feel their intense research was justified could be beneficial for hotels looking to build long-term relationships with their guests.
