Travellers enjoy hotel service but unhappy over Internet

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05/02/2014 by WiT

In 2013 travellers smiled about service but were irate over the Internet (or rather lack of), according to the latest  study by TrustYou which analysed over 14 million reviews worldwide.

The TrustYou global reports, developed by the company working in conjunction with New York University Professor Donna Quadri-Felitti, Ph.D., identified key trends in travellers’ reviews and hotel satisfaction across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

The survey revealed people are writing more reviews, overall scores and service scores are on the rise despite a lower percentage of five star reviews in most major markets, and travellers have become unhappier with Internet service.

Quadri-Felitti, who specialises in hotel and tourism marketing, said, “The sentiment analysis within these reports shows in which areas destinations shine as well as highlights areas to improve in 2014.”

Some of the key findings include:

• Service shines, satisfaction with hotel Internet/WiFi continued its downward spiral

Travellers appear to be more satisfied with the service they receive at hotels, with TrustYou Service Scores increasing in most regions compared to a year ago. These gains may have been a key factor in growing TrustScores. Even with this increase travellers became increasingly dissatisfied with hotel Internet/WiFi availability. Internet Scores dropped by up to double-digit percentages in all countries/regions. Internet service is something that nearly all destinations need to address as the global and constant connectivity of travellers is ever growing.

• TrustScores and volume of reviews on the rise

As travellers turn increasingly to reviews to help with their hotel booking decisions, hotel management is under constant pressure to focus on and improve review scores of their hotel portfolios.

In 2013 hoteliers rose to the pressure, with the majority of regions/countries and major markets posting an increase in scores. The US (+2.4%), Spain (+2.1%), the UK (+2.0%) and Australia and New Zealand (+1.3%) registered the biggest percentage gains. The major markets with the highest scores in these reports were: Bali (95.1) in APAC, Prague (93.8) in EMEA and New York (89.8) in North America.

The volume of reviews has grown by double digit percentages in APAC, EMEA and North America, with most major review platforms seeing gains, showing the continued importance of reviews on the travel industry.

• Five star reviews drop In major markets across the globe

Despite an increase in TrustScores and volume of reviews in 2013, nearly all major markets in APAC, EMEA and North America have seen a decline in the percentage of five-star reviews. The decline seen in major markets may be a result of increased consumer trust in reviews. They may adjust their expectations as a result of hotel reviews, creating greater demands on hotel management to exceed expectations.

Outside of major markets there have been increases in the percentage of five star reviews, particularly in APAC, which posted regional increases in five-star reviews. Northeast Asia registered the largest year-over year gains (+25.5%).

The full reports, including additional data and insights, are available for free download here.

• The TrustYou reports are based on a sample of more than 14 million reviews from across 250-plus sources, the data and insights are segmented by each region, by select countries/sub-regions and include major markets within each region.

* Photo credit (woman with laptop): catalin eremia/Shutterstock

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