Expedia has created a new study specifically on the motivations of European travelers. Among other revelations, they’ve found that compelling imagery is key for audiences under 35, activities and experiences lead the way over price sensitivity, and mobile is absolutely necessary: more than 50% of Gen Z and Millennials use their smartphone for travel inspiration and research.
We’ve included a few articles to help you translate those facts into direct bookings and loyalty. Firstly, what travel marketers need to know about mobile and local search results, followed by ways to inspire guests and drive engagement. Finally, we look at loyalty today, and what hotels can do to promote it among their guests.t
The Motivations of European Travelers from Generation Z to Baby Boomers
While travel is something to be experienced and enjoyed by people of all ages, it’s not one size fits all. Each generation—from Generation Z to to Boomers—has its own set of unique preferences, from what type of content they’re drawn to, to what type of device they use to book a trip, to the types of destinations and experiences they seek. A new study from Expedia Media Solutions on multi-generational travel trends in Europe found that while Millennials take the most number of trips per year, Boomers are taking the longest ones. On average, Europeans take 3.7 trips per year.
What Travel Marketers need to know about Local Search and Mobile
Over the past decade, nothing has impacted travel buying more so than search and consumer access to mobile devices. The customer buying journey has changed due to increased mobile use, both in travel planning, and while in destination. As a result, the playing field has been leveled for local operators against the big brands and online travel suppliers, who have dominated search for the past decade.
With today’s connected mobile consumer, travel marketers large and small, can impact the mobile and local path to purchase – simply by being there in local search, being accurate, managing reviews, and providing “in the moment” customer service.
Hotels and OTAs Failing to Inspire Guests
A new report from TrustYou suggests that hotels and OTAs are not yet fully embracing the opportunities around upselling and ancillary revenues.
Almost eight of ten guests get a booking confirmation, while communications around the mechanics of the stay are fairly strong. But hotels and OTAs seem less interested in inspiring guests in terms of what they can do in the destination, what they can do on property and specific activities.
Each of these represents an opportunity for hotels and OTAs to upsell, either directly or via partners, and it even looks as if the hotels are not interested in talking up their own on-property amenities.
Midscale Hotel Brands Are Getting Smarter About Not Being Boring
The definition of a “midscale” hotel brand used to evoke, like most hotels in years past, images of conformity. This used to be a hotel category concerned solely with the basics, and more often than not, hotels in this segment were standard in every way (translation: boring).
Howver, with new brands that have been announced, and those currently in the market such as Tru by Hilton, it’s clear there’s been a slight shift in emphasis in the development of these brands. The midscale hotel brand of tomorrow is still focused on getting the basics right — but doing it in a way that doesn’t sacrifice style and design, or technology, either.
Six Techniques to Tackle Falling Customer Loyalty
How do you build and keep loyal customers in this modern, intensely competitive and rapidly changing world?
Relying on customer inertia (which is absolutely not the same thing as customer loyalty) won’t work anymore. Now, as a customer, if you don’t like the deal on the table (or, more probably, your screen or voice-enabled device), you just click a link and move on to another company.
Does that mean customer loyalty is dead? Absolutely not. But you must think more creatively than ever before if you want the people who love your brand today to feel the same way tomorrow, so here are six points I’d urge you to consider.
