Hotels most popular online travel product
June 19, 2008 | Online Travel
The U.S. online travel market continued its growth in 2007, with hotels beeing the most popular component purchased overall, according to a new PhoCusWright report.
The U.S. online travel market continued its growth in 2007, and saw an upswing in the online traveler population—that is, adults who have taken a commercial air trip and stayed at a hotel for leisure in the past year, and used the Internet in the past 30 days, according to a new PhoCusWright report.
The report, “The PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey Tenth Edition,” finds that this evolution in the travel environment presents travel providers with a more polarized market. The novice “late majority” has different travel, shopping and buying behavior than their more seasoned online counterparts. They also have varying levels of online technology savvy, requiring different communication approaches from travel providers.
“With new users, travel providers find themselves in the position of needing to assure these shoppers of the value and security of purchasing online,” said Susan Steinbrink, senior analyst at PhoCusWright. “Providers should focus on offering more personalized technology, an intuitive and step-by-step shopping and booking process, and prominent ‘human touch,’ such as customer support phone numbers, click to call and live chat.”
Also among the report’s findings:
- With half of online travelers using the same purchase channel for leisure as they do for business travel, providers must set robust pricing fences to minimize buy-down.
- The pendulum has swung back to online travel agencies, which dominate in consumer reach for every travel component category purchased online.
- Despite increased rates and increasing economic pressures last year, hotel was the most popular component purchased overall.
“The PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey Tenth Edition” is a nationally representative survey of online travelers that observes and analyzes a range of travel shopping and purchase behavior. While focusing primarily on leisure travelers, the Tenth Edition also probed the behavior of frequent business travelers.
Related Link: The PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey Tenth Edition
Related Articles
Rate integrity in a down market
02 Jul, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Marketing is storytelling
02 Jul, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
How to maximize your hotel’s GDS distribution
30 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Aloft incorporates gaming into its Web experience
30 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Asia: Rate parity - the elusive dream which just got more elusive
25 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Carlson empowers employees to make revenue optimization decisions
25 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
How to ask better questions
25 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Hotel technology moving into the cloud
24 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
New hotel review site launches with independent, expert reviews
24 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Pegasus taps VFM Leonardo for ODD and Content Hub
24 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Most Popular Articles
How to maximize your hotel’s GDS distribution
30 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
PKF sees hotel rates continuing to fall in 2010
17 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
If you discount, do so carefully
18 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Summer travel trends according to hotels.com
23 Jun, 2009 | Online Travel
Luxury brands waking to a new reality
18 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
New hotel review site launches with independent, expert reviews
24 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Hotel technology moving into the cloud
24 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Destination marketing in the age of Web 2.0 and beyond
16 Jun, 2009 | Online Travel
Information key feature for tourism social networking
25 Jun, 2009 | Online Travel
“Thriving” not just “surviving” in a depressed economy: Tips for the independents
17 Jun, 2009 |
Economic Downturn
Rate integrity in a down market
02 Jul, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
The incredible shrinking airline
02 Jul, 2009 | Online Travel
U.S. spending on travel, tourism dropped 5.9% in first quarter
18 Jun, 2009 | Online Travel
If you discount, do so carefully
18 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Luxury brands waking to a new reality
18 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Travelocity says book now
17 Jun, 2009 | Online Travel
LHW courting guests discreetly with sweet deals
16 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
The new normal, according to McKinsey
11 Jun, 2009 | Internet Marketing
Pressure on hotel rates not likely to go away soon
04 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Travelocity issues ‘Traveler Confidence’ report
03 Jun, 2009 | Online Travel
New study reveals changes in leisure travelers’ online search behavior
02 Jun, 2009 |
Marriott launches ‘Deal of the Day’, exclusively on Twitter
02 Jun, 2009 | Hospitality Industry
Expedia makes airline no-fee policy permanent, eliminates hotel cancel/change fees
28 May, 2009 | Online Travel
The new high-end consumer
28 May, 2009 | Internet Marketing
Hoteliers most concerned with marketing ROI
26 May, 2009 |














