An iPerceptions & HSMAI Special Report Q3 2012:
http://www.iperceptions.com/en/knowledge/industry-reports
"The report discovered that the bulk (72%) of visitors to hospitality and tourism websites were repeat visitors in Q3 2012. But despite a strong prevalence of repeat visitors, most travelers accessed hospitality and tourism sites via search engines – first time and repeat visitors alike."
More travelers – yet one-third of online bookers still do not complete their intended reservation
MONTREAL, QC – September 13, 2012 – iPerceptions Inc., a leading provider of online Voice of Customer (VoC) analytics derived from actual visitor feedback, and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), a thought leader and catalyst for hotel revenue growth, today announced the release of their ‘Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry’ report for Q2 2012. For the second consecutive year, the outlook for summer/fall travel brightened, with more than three in fiveU.S. adults planning on taking at least one trip for leisure purposes before November.
Although the share of leisure travelers increased significantly in Q2 2012 to 64%, compared to 59% in Q1, the report uncovered that almost 1 in 3 online bookers do not complete their intended reservation. Room unavailability and usability issues such as navigational difficulties and cluttered layout were the main reasons identified for not completing a reservation. The data further underscores the importance of hospitality sites ensuring that room inventory is up-to-date online and that all features are working smoothly to boost the chances of conversion.
“The recent increase in leisure travelers is very encouraging news for the hospitality and tourism sector which has suffered setbacks during the recent financial recession,” said Duff Anderson, VP of Insight at iPerceptions. “But the recent economic downturn has also led consumers to become quite savvy when it comes to securing the best value they can find. Therefore, offering competitive rates and standing by the Best Rate Guarantee will be important to build confidence with website visitors.”
The study also determined that the majority (68%) of hospitality and tourism website visitors are repeat visitors. Over three-quarters (77%) of leisure travelers were members of a loyalty program in Q2 2012, a slight yet significant increase over Q1 (76%), suggesting positive intentions of future travel among this website visitor group.
“As hospitality brands compete to keep customer loyalty, content personalization will become increasingly important to maintain traction with website visitors,” Anderson added. “Brands should look to implement programs that personalize content based on visitor profiles and preferences. Delivering more relevant content to online visitors offers new opportunities for brands to create a competitive advantage as they explore content optimization and per
Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry Q3 2012
1. An iPerceptions & HSMAI Special Report
Online Satisfaction and Experience in the
Hospitality Industry
Q3 2012
Additional reports available at the iPerceptions Resource Center
http://www.iperceptions.com/resource-center/
3575 Boulevard St-Laurent, Suite 310, Montréal, Québec, H2X 2T7
T. 877.796.3600 F. 866.484.2600
info@iperceptions.com | www.iperceptions.com
1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Virginia 22012
T. 703.506.3280 F. 703.506.3266
info@hsmai.org | www.hsmai.org
2. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................................ 2
About the Report ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Overall Satisfaction .............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Task Completion.................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Type of Traveler ................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Hotel Category – Overall Satisfaction and Task Completion............................................................................................. 2
Type of Traveler by Hotel Category .................................................................................................................................... 2
Loyalty Program Membership by Type of Traveler ............................................................................................................ 2
Visit Frequency by Type of Traveler .................................................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of Visit .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of Visit by Type of Traveler.................................................................................................................................... 2
Task Completion by Purpose of Visit by Type of Traveler .................................................................................................. 2
Task Completion Barriers for Bookers* .............................................................................................................................. 2
Path to Site ........................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Path to Site by Visit Frequency ............................................................................................................................................ 2
iPerceptions Perceptual Framework ................................................................................................................................... 2
Attribute Questions.............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Attribute Ratings .................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Attribute Ratings by Loyalty Program Membership ........................................................................................................... 2
Key Drivers of Online Satisfaction for Bookers*.................................................................................................................. 2
About iPerceptions and HSMAI .......................................................................................................................................... 2
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3. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
About the Report
The following report is based on immediate post-experience feedback from 257 iPerceptions webValidator and 4Q
Suite surveys deployed on hospitality websites around the world. The data represents aggregated information
obtained from over 82,000 visitors between July 1 and Sept 30, 2012.
Executive Summary
Setting the Stage
The third quarter of 2012 represents the height of the summer travel season. As such, one can expect an increase
in the share of leisure travelers looking to plan their holidays. While the number of successful bookings is always an
important key performance indicator for most brands at any time of year, this metric is of paramount significance
during the high leisure travel season. And since price is one of the most important decision points when booking a
leisure trip, brands often compete and become very creative when trying to offer the best deal. Whether offering
free nights, discounts on rooms or services or additional membership benefits, hospitality providers will need to
continuously develop creative solutions in order to keep their brand at the top of the traveler’s consideration set.
Increase in Leisure Travelers
Two-thirds of hospitality and tourism website visitors were of a Leisure context in Q3 2012. While this share is similar
to that reported last quarter, it marks a significant increase over the same quarter last year. That being said, the
share of Business travelers has decreased in consequence. Leisure travelers frequented all hotel tiers, but were
most likely to stay at Midscale or Economy brands due to their price point and value offering. Business travelers, on
the other hand, preferred Extended Stay or Luxury hotels, mainly because their hotel choice is often dictated by
corporate policy, or because they are less affected by price concerns since the cost does not impact them
personally.
Loyalty Program Membership
Most hospitality and tourism website visitors were members of a loyalty program in Q3 2012, unchanged since Q2.
However, a year on year decrease is noted as result of lower membership among Business travelers. This could be
due to less frequent marketing activity surrounding membership program promotion, or it could be that travelers
have reached the saturation point in terms of how many programs they feel they can join. Membership among
Leisure travelers, on the other hand, has increased since last year. Understandably, membership remained higher
among the Business segment, as this segment tends to travel more often and is more likely to join such programs
in order to earn rewards.
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4. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Frequency of Visit & Path to Site
The bulk of hospitality and tourism websites were comprised of repeat visitors in Q3 2012. Since Business travelers
were more frequent travelers than their Leisure counterparts, repeat website visits were more common in this
group. Importantly, however, is that first time visitors within the Business cohort increased significantly since last
quarter as well as versus the same period last year.
Interestingly, despite a strong prevalence of repeat visitors, most travelers accessed hospitality and tourism sites via
search engine – first time and repeat visitors alike. About one in four typed in the brand URL to reach the website,
an incidence that has increased among first time visitors not only since last quarter but last year as well, suggesting
that promotional efforts may have helped with brand awareness and recall. The fact that bookmarking tracked as a
distant third in terms of path to site suggests either that brand loyalty has not been optimized, or that typing in the
URL served as a proxy for bookmarking since recalling the URL is a form of brand identification. Interestingly, the
share of visitors accessing hospitality and tourism websites via email link has increased significantly since last year,
indicating that marketing efforts employed by brands has been working to drive visitors to their websites.
Overall Experience
Overall Satisfaction has remained steady at 73.0 for Q3 2012. Content Relevancy is the key strength for hospitality
and tourism websites, indicating that the information and visual content (Relevancy, Breadth) were in line with
visitors’ expectations. As well, visitors found these websites easy to navigate (Ease of use, Discovery). On the other
hand, the perception of receiving the best rates through the brand website (Bottom line) remained the lowest
ranked Attribute, suggesting that visitors felt that they could get better value by shopping around.
Regression analysis indicates that four Attributes had a significant impact on the outcome of a hospitality and
tourism website visitor’s experience. Navigation elements of Discovery (the ability to find what the visitor was
looking for) and site Ease of Use both surfaced as Attributes that were scored on the higher side and exerted a
strong level of influence on overall experience. As such, these elements should be maintained, meaning that
websites should continue to provide an easy and intuitive navigation process. Site Responsiveness – which involves
interactive elements associated with the booking process such as calendar functionality, room selection, personal
information input, etc., were not only the lowest rated Key Driver of the visitor’s experience, but the most influential. As
result, the overall Convenience of using a specific website for travel needs – although not as influential – also emerged as
a key element of the online experience. Therefore, when it comes to prioritizing website enhancements, streamlining and
optimizing the booking process should be the area on which to focus on in order to promote successful booking.
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5. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Purpose of Visit & Task Completion
The main reason for visiting a hospitality and tourism website in Q3 2012 was to book, particularly among Business
travelers. About one in five travelers were interested in finding hotel information, or comparing rates, which was
more common among the Leisure segment.
Overall task completion improved significantly versus last quarter and last year. Leisure travelers were primarily
responsible for this gain, likely due, at least in part, to a stronger presence of repeat visitors, thus facilitating task
completion due to stronger familiarity with the website in question, etc. However, Business travelers remained
more successful than Leisure at completing their tasks, due to the higher share of repeat visitors in this group.
Viewing/cancelling a reservation continued to yield the highest rate of task completion, likely since this task is fairly
easy to do. Finding hotel information posted the lowest rate of task completion, mainly because visitors faced
challenges in locating the sufficient level of detail about the hotel or price for which they were looking. This further
reinforces the need to ensure that websites respond to visitors’ needs by providing an optimal search and booking
process – thus focusing on the Responsive attribute as cited above.
Over 7 in 10 Bookers were able to complete their reservation in Q3 2012 – a significant improvement over the
previous quarter and year. Nonetheless, almost 30% were unable to complete their booking, mainly because they
could not find the room or hotel information they needed, the room or hotel was not available during the travel
dates required, or that Bookers encountered technical or usability issues while trying to make their reservation. And
while sometimes this resulted in the Booker calling the hotel directly to complete their transaction, it also led to
abandonment, such that they left the website in order to consider other brands.
The Road Ahead
There is no question that the hospitality space is becoming exponentially more competitive. For travelers, this is a
double edged sword because while the growth in the number of players in the space means that they have more
options to consider, it also can be quite overwhelming. As the Priority Grid suggests, travelers value website
Convenience, and want to complete their tasks quickly and efficiently. For brands, therefore, the opportunity is how
to facilitate the traveler’s decision making process by providing an intuitive website with content that is clearly laid
out, and a smooth, hassle free booking process. Voice of Customer data provides an excellent basis for which
brands can identify what the pain points are for their customers, but understanding how they should be addressed
and repaired can be complex. Usability audits serve as an excellent compliment to Voice of Customer research as a
means of helping outline these objectives, and together, can provide the roadmap on guiding site improvement
strategy and optimizing overall online brand health.
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8. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Type of Traveler by Hotel Category
Luxury Midscale Economy Extended Stay
Q3 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q2 Q3
2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2011
Leisure
59% 59% 57% 69% 68% 69% 71% 70% 74% 55% 52% 47%
Travelers
Business
32% 31% 34% `19% 20% 19% 12% 10% 12% 33% 36% 36%
Travelers
Other 10% 10% 9% 12% 12% 12% 18% 20% 14% 12% 12% 17%
Loyalty Program Membership by Type of Traveler
Overall 78%
Leisure Travelers 77%
Business Travelers 88%
70% 72% 74% 76% 78% 80% 82% 84% 86% 88% 90%
Overall Leisure Travelers Business Travelers
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
Membership 78% 78% 79% 77% 77% 76% 88% 87% 90%
Visit Frequency by Type of Traveler
Overall Leisure Travelers Business Travelers
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
First-time
28% 32% 28% 29% 33% 31% 21% 23% 17%
Visitor
Repeat
72% 68% 72% 71% 67% 69% 79% 77% 83%
Visitor
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9. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Purpose of Visit
Make Reservation 28%
Compare Rates 18%
Find Hotel Info 21%
View / Cancel Res 8%
Other 25%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Percent Share Overall Satisfaction Task Completion
Q3 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q2 Q3
2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2011
Make
28% 27% 29% 74 73 73 71% 69% 69%
Reservation
Compare Rates 18% 19% 22% 73 72 72 71% 70% 69%
Find Hotel Info 21% 20% 24% 75 75 74 70% 69% 71%
View / Cancel
8% 7% 8% 77 76 76 81% 79% 79%
Res
Other 25% 27% 20% 72 71 73 73% 73% 75%
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10. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Purpose of Visit by Type of Traveler
Leisure Travelers Business Travelers
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
Make
32% 31% 31% 37% 35% 37%
Reservation
Compare Rates 23% 25% 26% 13% 13% 14%
Find Hotel Info 19% 16% 23% 11% 10% 11%
View / Cancel
5% 5% 5% 7% 7% 8%
Res
Other 21% 23% 16% 31% 34% 30%
Task Completion by Purpose of Visit by Type of Traveler
Leisure Travelers Business Travelers
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
Make
72% 71% 69% 78% 76% 77%
Reservation
Compare Rates 71% 69% 67% 75% 74% 74%
Find Hotel Info 68% 68% 68% 75% 76% 77%
View / Cancel
82% 78% 81% 83% 82% 81%
Res
Other 74% 73% 75% 80% 78% 81%
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11. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Task Completion Barriers for Bookers*
Available
“Dates not available”
“I didn’t find anything available in my price range and dates
“Few choices and non availability”
“Hotels I prefer are not available”
Room/rooms
“Because you won’t show a pic of the rooms
“I kept trying to enter my dates every time I clicked search nothing happened am giving up had the intention of booking a
room for four nights
“I needed more information casino information and photos what is the distinction between the Greenbrier and Glade
“Springs spa information and photos golf course information and photos examples of breakfast menus or buffets and
photos ballroom information
“I WANTED TO KNOW MORE DETAILS OF THE ROOMS AVAILABLE AND I COULDNT GET A PHONE
“Looking for a room in North Myrtle Beach Map didn’t show what I needed to know
“Never could find a king bed room to click on only suites were offered
“The virtual tour of the room that I wanted did not match the floorplan.There was credibility gap on what I was
purchasing
Find
“Could not find any hotels with indoor pools in the area we wanted for a decent price that had rooms available
“Couldn’t find a property in the area I wanted that was pet friendly
“Did not find what I was looking for
“I could not find a hotel that offered all of the services I needed
“I could not find the information I needed
“I could not find the rates on your site-Would be helpful to compare and find a good rate although I like your Motel”
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12. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Site
“Found the website slow and awkward to use”
“Difficult to navigate website”
“Could not navigate through your website for rooms would not give me the option to click on any other option”
“Could not get locations from your website - not only that but it appears that the Americinn i was looking for is no longer
there - will be staying somewhere else”
“Website performed poorly, not able to navigate”
Reservation
“2nd time I have tried to book reservations on this web site unsuccessfully. E either I am not very smart or viewing Book
reservation is not very evident but I am going to use a handy dandy phone line once again to book a reservation at my
convenience”
“I found the website confusing as far as booking a reservation couldn’t figure out how to make a reservation. In the end
found a different hotel on Hotels com”
“Site would not accept final steps had to call”
“The site did not complete my reservation which had to be done on line in order to obtain the special rate”
“The site told me that one or more of my rooms had been reserved but there was errors and I had to call a number to
complete my reservation I would like to have completed it at that time not have to call a number to complete.”
“The site was slow and then it kept saying unable to book”
*Bookers: Purpose of Visit = ‘Make a Reservation’
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13. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Path to Site
Search Engine 40%
Typed in URL 23%
Bookmark / Fav 9%
E-mail Link 7%
Other Site Link 4%
Clicked on Ad 2%
Link from Friend 1%
Social Net Link 1%
Other 12%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Percent Share Overall Satisfaction Task Completion
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
Search Engine 40% 39% 30% 70 70 72 66% 63% 62%
Typed in URL 23% 22% 25% 72 72 73 66% 64% 65%
Bookmark / Fav 9% 8% 15% 77 76 76 76% 73% 69%
Clicked on Ad 2% 2% 3% 71 71 72 64% 65% 65%
Other Site Link 4% 4% 3% 71 70 70 71% 65% 72%
Email Link 7% 7% 2% 76 74 74 81% 73% 74%
Link from
1% 1% 1% 77 73 73 73% 70% 74%
Friend
Social Net Link 1% 1% -- 76 73 76 78% 71% 83%
Other 12% 16% 21% 72 72 73 66% 65% 65%
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14. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Path to Site by Visit Frequency
First-Time Visitors Repeat Visitors
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
Search Engine 42% 40% 33% 39% 40% 22%
Typed in URL 23% 15% 16% 23% 23% 35%
Bookmark / Fav 8% 5% 5% 10% 9% 21%
Clicked on Ad 2% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2%
Other Site Link 3% 3% 1% 5% 4% 1%
Email Link 6% 5% 1% 7% 7% 1%
Link from Friend 1% -- 1% 2% 1% 1%
Social Net Link 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
Other 15% 25% 31% 11% 13% 18%
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15. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
iPerceptions Perceptual Framework
Attribute Questions
Dimension Attribute Question
Starting Point ...is one of the first sites you use when you plan a trip or event?
Adoption
Return ...encourages you to return?
Breadth ...covers the range of information you need?
Content
Relevancy ...has content that is relevant to the purpose of your visit?
Contacts ...enables you to identify and contact the right people?
Interactivity
Responsive ...is truly interested in responding to your needs?
Bottom Line ...can save you money on room rates?
Motivation
Convenience ...is the most convenient way to choose your hotel accommodations?
Discovery ...enables you to find what you’re looking for?
Navigation
Ease of Use ...is easy for you to navigate?
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17. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Attribute Ratings by Loyalty Program Membership
Members Non-members
Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012 Q2 2012 Q3 2011
Relevancy 7.71 7.63 7.69 7.11 7.13 7.12
Ease of Use 7.61 7.52 7.49 7.14 7.15 7.10
Breadth 7.61 7.54 7.56 7.00 7.04 7.00
Discovery 7.59 7.50 7.51 7.00 7.00 6.96
Return 7.60 7.55 7.58 6.88 6.90 6.98
Starting Point 7.68 7.64 7.56 6.63 6.66 6.71
Convenience 7.53 7.44 7.49 6.91 6.94 6.93
Contacts 7.40 7.39 7.25 6.84 6.90 6.86
Responsive 7.37 7.32 7.36 6.87 6.91 6.88
Bottom Line 7.33 7.34 7.25 6.61 6.67 6.71
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18. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
Key Drivers of Online Satisfaction for Bookers*
Influence chart for Hospitality Industry Q3 2012 BOOKERS
0.40
Discovery
0.35
0.30
Higher
Influence
0.25 Ease of use
Responsive
0.20
0.15 Convenience
Lower
Influence 0.10
0.05
0.00
7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8
Lower iPSI 7.5 Higher
Rating Rating
The following
Attributes
together best
predict overall Attribute Question
site satisfaction
for in-market
visitors.Dimension
Interactivity Responsive ...is truly interested in responding to your needs?
Navigation Discovery ...enables you to find what you’re looking for?
Navigation Ease of Use ...is easy for you to navigate?
Motivation Convenience …is the most convenient way to choose your
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19. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
accommodations/plan your travel?
*Bookers: Purpose of Visit = ‘Make a Reservation’
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20. Online Satisfaction and Experience in the Hospitality Industry – Q3 2012
About iPerceptions and HSMAI
3575 Boulevard St-Laurent, Suite 310, Montréal, Québec, H2X 2T7
T. 877.796.3600 F. 866.484.2600
info@iperceptions.com | www.iperceptions.com
A trusted market research firm and global leader in Voice of Customer (VoC) analytics, iPerceptions captures
customer perceptions on the touch point of choice and at the critical time using advanced intercept technologies and
proven research frameworks to deliver action in real-time. Its platform provides advanced business intelligence
reporting and global benchmarking to assist in strategic and tactical decision-making. Also inject VoC results to
provide seamless integration of customer insights into current processes and improve the overall customer
experience. So from standard to custom solutions, from full service to self service, it’s no wonder InterContinental
Hotels, Fairmont, Best Western, Choice Hotels International and Wyndham Vacations and over 3,000 brands trust
iPerceptions. For more information visit iperceptions.com
1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Virginia 22012
T. 703.506.3280 F. 703.506.3266
info@hsmai.org | www.hsmai.org
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels
and their partners, and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The
association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire
marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI’s MEET, Adrian Awards, and Revenue
Optimization Conference. HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members
worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at www.hsmai.org,
www.facebook.com/hsmai, www.twitter.com/hsmai and www.youtube.com/hsmai1.
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