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Hotel Industry News |
Saturday November 22nd, 2008 |
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What's Hot, What's Not - A Review Of What Actual Web Site Users Have Been Saying And Doing Over The Past Year |
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I thought it would be fitting to look back at the past year and provide perspective on the vitally important business traveler segment of the market and look at some of the changes we’ve observed based on the actual user feedback our clients have received. The data is based on 25 webValidator™ studies conducted over the last two year on hotel web sites in North America and Europe using feedback from over 14,000 actual business travel users. |
The business travel segment is of course extremely valuable and important to everyone operating in the hospitality sector. The sluggish economy and post 9/11 concerns have combined to depress this sector as never before and it will take many months if not years, and a stronger economy before we can expect to see an increase in business related travel and hotel stays. Understanding the online experience of this user segment is always important – now it is critical
First and foremost, we have seen a marked change in the business travelers “purpose of visit” to a hospitality web site. 38% of business travelers are actually making a reservation when they visit a web site compared to 33% in previous years. One of the reasons that might contribute to this shift is the introduction of “guaranteed lowest rates”, a policy that many web site owners introduced this past year. With this increase in “making a reservation”, we have seen a related decrease for visiting the site to simply compare rates or offers – that number shifting from 24% of all business users to 18%. We believe this is a very positive change for web site owners. As more and more business visitors make online reservations, site owners should see reservation costs decrease and the site’s “look to book” ratio increase.
What is also extremely encouraging is the continuing stability seen in the number of stays per year booked by business travelers visiting the web site. The numbers remain constant over two years - economy and 9/11 aside. In fact 90% of all business users indicated the number of nights stayed was eight or more per year. That has to be encouraging news to everyone in the sector.
We have also observed a slight shift in the frequency of web site visits by business users. The percentage of first time visitors to web sites in the hospitality sector has dropped while more frequent visits – 6 times or more to the same site has increased. These numbers suggest that web site owners in the hospitality sector are beginning to build a loyal following and that users are getting more familiar with their options. The window for attracting new users remains open since over 37% of business users are first time site visitors, but web site owners should be aware that most users no longer casually surf multiple sites for hours on end to seek out the best price or deal.
I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of the open-ended comments we’ve tracked over the past year as well, to present a more personal picture of the hospitality based web site user. Although far from statistically accurate the comments do paint an interesting picture. Users continue to say they want more and bigger pictures as well as more complete pricing information. Users continue to value simple navigation and ease of use asking for clean design, easy to read pages with clearly laid out information and links that allow them to easily contact the property or to retrieve personal information. Tools such as calendars and planners were also viewed as extremely helpful.
Dislikes range from concerns about a stated lack of privacy policies, a lack of visible security for personal information when making a reservation to poor quality pictures and poor navigation tools. Users get frustrated with sites that require them to make far too many decisions as well as clicks simply to make a reservation. Their only choice is to go to another site that offers a better solution. Little or no pricing information is another pet peeve for seasoned web users. We have seen time and time again that web site users need to be assured and reassured that the price quoted on the site is the best they can get for that property at the time they are booking. As well, users want access to all other pricing options available to them for the time period they are interested in. If there is one deterrent holding back online bookings, it can be summed up by the belief that users can get a better rate by contacting resellers and other online brokers, or even the property itself via phone or e-mail.
Overall you may ask, has the actual user’s level of satisfaction with web sites in the hospitality sector changed? The answer is yes and no. Hospitality sites remain a resounding winner with their users although we have seen a slight decrease of 5% in the overall level of their satisfaction this year. This can be attributed to the fact that users are becoming more sophisticated and more comfortable with technology and therefore demanding more of web sites. In the early years, web site owners could provide basic, simple information and a few bells and whistles and get a high rating for their site. Today users demand and expect fast downloads, a wealth of information, visually engaging graphics, the best price available and a complete reservation system all at the touch of a button. In return for their loyalty, web site users demand and expect your site to provide them with a meaningful and rewarding experience.
That is the challenge that faces the industry today and in the future, user demands will continue to grow and change and that is why it is imperative that web site owners keep listening to their web site users to fully understand and address the needs, wants and preferences of their web site users. Without that data, you are operating in the dark. The true art and science of building a successful business or creating a successful brand is based upon building and maintaining solid customer relationships – your web site is the perfect channel for building and solidifying that relationship.
Jerry Tarasofsky is CEO of iPerceptions Inc., a business intelligence company headquartered in New York that provides metrics that analyze User-Relationship Satisfaction© – a unique measure of user loyalty that helps organizations align their web initiatives with the needs, wants, and preferences of their targeted user groups. He can be reached at jerryt@iperceptions.com
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