Survey Shows Sharp Drop In Consumer Loyalty To Travel Brands

　　There has been a steep decline in consumer loyalty to travel brands, with only 8% of respondents to a new survey by Deloitte indicating they always stay at the same brand of hotel, and just 14% saying they always fly on the same airline.

　　Reward programs ranked low in importance for influencing consumer travel (20th out of 26 attributes for hotels, and 19th out of 26 attributes for airlines) — well behind value and past experience, according to Deloitte. Only 45% consider loyalty programs of high importance when choosing hotels. Just over half (56%) of survey respondents said they are satisfied or very satisfied with their hotel loyalty program.

　　The state of the economy continues to affect consumer travel habits, with value for money ranking as one of the most important considerations when booking hotels and flights. The survey found consumers seek value for money, comfort and location when choosing a hotel.

　　According to the survey, 63% of respondents never want to interact with a travel brand via social media, and 44% never visit social media and review sites for travel. Additionally, 80% of respondents have never downloaded a hotel or airline app to their smartphones. Meanwhile, nearly half of survey respondents (49%) have used flash sale sites to follow discounts on travel. In fact, the majority of consumers are still using tried-and-trusted methods to book travel reservations — 61% use hotel and 59% use airline websites most frequently. What really matters to consumers when being engaged by travel brands is a secure and easy purchase process, email discounts and the latest news, Deloitte said.

　　"Travel brands need to be more innovative and clear in communicating their product and service offerings," said Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. Travel, Hospitality and Leisure leader. " Deloitte"s research showed that while earning and redeeming points are the most important attributes for choosing hotel and airline loyalty programs, travel brands should focus on enhancing the customer experience, making rewards personally meaningful, encouraging loyalty with unexpected rewards if they want to boost consumer engagement and ultimately building long-term customer relationships."