The cleaniliness of a hotel or the availability of free and fast WiFi could be key to a traveller choosing the property over another, which does not provide such services.
This is revealed in a study by TrustYou, the global online reputation management tool, and Donna Quadri-Felitti, director of the School of Hospitality Management at Pennsylvania State University, to understand which hotel attributes have the biggest impact on travellers’ booking decisions.
The study used heat-mapping technology to understand which attributes prompted hotel bookings in eight different travel contexts such as business travel and family vacation.
According to the findings travellers book hotels based on certain considerations such as the property’s cleanliness and comfort, which are the most important factors in determining where to stay.
Hotels with free WiFi and wonderful rooms are popular with travellers. (Image credit: technotr-iStock)
The study also revealed travellers often choose a hotel based on other factors relevant to their travels such as great WiFi for business trips or wonderful rooms when planning a romantic getaway.
“Hotels must understand what travellers want and need in a hotel when making their booking decisions. These self-reported important attributes like cleanliness and comfort are required for a hotel to be a part of a traveller’s consideration set. Once a hotel becomes part of the traveller’s consideration set by delivering on the “must haves,” it can then focus on attributes that actually trigger a traveller to book,” said Quadri-Felitti.
Added Margaret Ady, vice president of marketing at TrustYou: “The attributes that influence travellers to book a hotel are closely tied to the context in which the person is traveling. For example, a hotel with great WiFi is a trigger for business travellers, while great food is important for those travelling with their friends. By understanding these triggers, hotels can focus efforts to improve, optimize marketing, and leverage review content to best cater to its audience and ultimately increase bookings.”
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