Drive Revenue By Optimizing the Traveler Planning Journey Pt 1

Google Confidential and Proprietary 1 Google Confidential and Proprietary 1

Traveler’s Road to Decision: Hotel Insights


Travel On.


1 Travelers across all segments are shopping around more for accommodations than in previous years

2 4 in 10 business travelers are open to peer-to-peer alternatives when traveling, such as Airbnb or Zipcar

3 The web continues to be the primary source for lodging decisions and bookings, with an acceleration in mobile bookings coming from last minute stays

4 Travelers move between devices to research accommodations, largely relying on search to continue activities

5 Once checked-in, half of leisure and the majority of affluent travelers rely on online sources to research ancillary services

Key Takeaways


The Traveler’s mindset


Travelers across the board are shopping online more for accommodations than in years past

Source: Google Travel Study, May-June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT (H1/H2/H7/H3 Base: Hotel Quota Source: Google Travel Study, Waves 3, 4, and 5, April-May 2011, 2012 and May-June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT

67% Leisure Travelers (vs. 64% in 2012)

59% Business Travelers

(vs. 58% in 2012)

81% Affluent Travelers

(vs. 76% in 2012)

Those who “Always or Frequently” Comparison Shop Online for Accommodations


41%

29%

11%

1%

47%

34%

12%

3%

Mid-scale hotel

Economy hotel

Upscale hotel

Luxury hotel Leisure Business

Travelers generally stay in mid-scale and economy hotels

Top Types of Lodging Establishments Typically Stayed In

Base: Lodging Quota; Leisure N=853; Business N-177 QH4: When traveling for personal/business reasons, in which of the following types of lodging establishments do you typically stay? (Select ONE) Source: Google Travel Study, June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT

2% of leisure travelers typically stay in a rental house / vacation home


New trend: business travelers considering less traditional methods of lodging and transportation

43% of business travelers plan to research or use peer-to-peer sharing alternatives to traditional hotels or car

rental services such as Airbnb or Zipcar

Source: Google Travel Study, May-June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT Base: Business Quota N=1500 Q26: Using the scale below, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about traveling for business purposes in the next year. (Select ONE for each statement)


How travelers use the web for lodging


The internet continues to lead as the primary source for lodging decisions

Base: Lodging Quota; Leisure N-853; Business N=177 QH1: Which of the following sources, if any, do you typically use to decide which lodging accommodations to use when taking a personal or leisure/business trip? (Select ALL that apply) Source: Google Travel Study, June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT

Sources for lodging decisions Leisure Business

Internet 82% 74%

Family, friends, or colleagues 43% (+4 pts. YoY) 29%

Informational brochures 16% 13%

800 or toll-free number 9% (-2 pts. YoY) 15%

TV 9% 5% (-2 pts. YoY)

Magazines 6% 6%

Travel agents 5% 6% (-7 pts. YoY)

Newspapers 3% 3%

Travel groups 3% 3%

Books 3% 2%

Radio 2% 1%

Leisure travelers are more likely to rely on word-of-mouth than business travelers


49%

25%

23%

14%

13%

6%

4%

1%

1%

54%

20%

27%

17%

15%

10%

7%

7%

4%

At a lodging website

Book through an online travel agent

Call a local lodging establishment directly

Call a lodging company's general 800 number

Walk-in at a local lodging establishment

On a mobile website

Through a smartphone or tablet app

Company travel department

Call a travel agent Leisure Business

7 in 10 travelers book their lodging online

QH2 Base: Lodging Quota QH2: How have you reserved lodging accommodations when traveling for one or more nights on personal vacations/business trips in the past 6 months? (Select ALL that apply) / (QH9) How likely are you to reserve future lodging accommodations on each of the following devices? Source: Google Travel Study, June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT

Lodging Booking Methods

How are you valuing calls to a property

or call center?

+7 pts. YoY

+4 pts. YoY +4 pts. YoY

+3 pts. YoY


Price, convenience and past experience are key factors in lodging decisions

Base: Lodging Quota QH3: How important are each of the following when choosing lodging accommodations for personal or leisure/business travel? (Select ONE for each) Source: Google Travel Study, June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT

90%

73%

70%

61%

60%

60%

58%

57%

84%

80%

77%

72%

62%

56%

56%

54%

Price

Most convenient location

Past experience with lodging establishment

Free in-room Wi-Fi

In-room services offered

Hotel website (accessed via computer)

Promotions

Cancellation policy/ Ability to change booking Leisure Business

Importance of Features When Choosing Lodging (Extremely/Very important)

Market your top value propositions and ensure that guests can easily find what they need to plan and book on your website


Online videos are key throughout the travel funnel

Source: Google Travel Study, May-June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT Base: Watched/commented on travel-related video. Leisure N=1533, Business N=931 Q5: At what points in your travel planning process do you view videos online? (Select ALL that apply)

When thinking about taking a trip

When choosing a destination

When looking for ideas of things to do at a particular destination

When deciding on accommodations

When deciding which website to book on

Leisure Travelers Business Travelers

64%

63%

65%

52%

29%

66%

66%

65%

61%

40%

When Travel Videos are Viewed


Multi-screen behavior


Send an email/link to myself

Save bookmarks, shopping cart or favorites in my account

Sync to an online service (Dropbox, Google Docs)

Directly navigate to the destination site (via browser/app) 44%

Conduct a search on the other device 49%

36%

18%

5%

Google Travel Multi-Screen Study, July 2013, Ipsos MediaCT Hotel N=889 Base: Did Sequential For Component Q36. You mentioned that you have started related activities on one device and then continued them on another device. In which ways did you "move" between devices?

Travelers move between devices for lodging planning and research

Method of Moving Between Devices Sequentially for Lodging-related Activities


Consumers book accommodations across screens Among those who researched accommodations on a device…

86% book via computer

45% book via tablet

41% book via smartphone

83% book via computer

35% book via tablet

31% book via smartphone

Base: Business and Personal Quotas who did travel component and use specific device for travel research (floating), differences from slide DEVICE2 due to rounding DEVICE3: And, on which device(s) did you reserve or book each of the following components in the past 6 months for your personal or leisure trips? (Select ALL that apply for each component) Source: Google Travel Study, June 2013, Ipsos MediaCT

Business travelers Leisure travelers


Hotel-related ads on smartphones have slightly higher recall than desktop, but both prompt action

Google Travel Multi-Screen Study, July 2013, Ipsos MediaCT Base: Did Sequential For Component; Computer N=1232, Smartphone N=386 Q38. Below is a list of types of advertising. Which of these types of travel-related ads do you recall seeing on your device(s) during your [component] travel planning process?

55% of travelers took action after seeing a hotel-related ad regardless of whether it was on a computer, smartphone or tablet

Hotel ad recall:

59% Hotel ad

recall:

55%


19% Clicked on the ad

As a result of seeing a travel-related ad on a smartphone during hotel research:

20% Called the advertiser

by clicking on the number

24% Looked for more

information on the device

Source: Google Multiscreen Travel, Google and Ipsos MediaCT, June 2013. (Q39) And, which of the following actions, if any, did you take as a result of seeing travel-related advertising on these devices during your [component] planning process in the past 6 months? Base: Multiple Device Users Who Saw Specific Types of Ads on Smartphones


1 Think about how your brand can stay top of mind with travelers from the initial inspiration phase down to consideration and booking

2 Develop stronger digital strategies to reach consumers early and inspire new travel before the consideration phase. Search is a key resource for travelers, making it an essential channel for marketers as well

3 Connect with travelers across devices. A booking on one device can directly or indirectly result from a previous research or activity on another device

4 Develop and promote video content that allows you to bring the sights and sounds of your destination, property or product. Know how to leverage user-generated content to allow advocates to tell your story for you

What does this mean for Marketers?


Customer Journey


From the Assist to Last Touch Point


From the Assist to Last Touch Point


Typical Channel Roles in the Journey

Date post:	20-Aug-2015
Category:	Business
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