TripAdvisor Survey Shows Optimism On Hotel Profitability

　　A new global survey from TripAdvisor shows although a majority of hoteliers throughout the world expect a profitable 2013, outside of the U.S. most hotels do not plan to increase ADR.

　　The TripBarometer by TripAdvisor conducted on behalf of TripAdvisor by independent research firm StrategyOne, a division of Edelman Berland, will be biannual and covers top travel and hospitality industry trends according to more than 35,000 travelers and accommodations from around the world.

　　An average of 68% of respondents globally are optimistic about their hotels’ profitability in 2013.

　　By region:

　　North America — 82% (including 79% for U.S.)

　　South America — 77%

　　Asia Pacific — 72%

　　Africa — 71%

　　Middle East — 71%

　　Australasia — 65%

　　Europe — 54%

　　Perhaps fueled by this optimism, 56% of U.S. accommodations plan to increase their room rates in the next three months, making them the most bullish about rate hikes of all countries polled. The global average was 40% of hoteliers expecting to increase rates over next three months.

　　By region:

　　South America — 48%

　　North America — 43% (including 56% for U.S.)

　　Asia Pacific — 42%

　　Africa — 41%

　　Middle East — 39%

　　Australasia — 36%

　　Europe — 32%

　　The survey also queried travelers U.S. travelers on their booking habits and what sources they considered most useful for planning a trip.

　　The results showed that:

　　Beach (21%), culture (17%) and adventure (15%) trips are U.S. travelers’ preferred excursions

　　U.S. travelers most often travel with a significant other (60%), followed by flying solo (17%) and with kids (15%)

　　For a long trip, 80% of U.S. travelers begin planning their vacation two or more months ahead of time and for a short excursion, 77% plan their trip within a month of departure

　　Globally, travelers look at an average of seven properties before booking an accommodation, with 55% of U.S. travelers considering 1-5 options, and 26% considering 6-10

　　The top three decision making factors for global travelers are: price (76%), location (68%) and online reviews (44%)

　　What deals will motivate U.S. travelers to book in 2013? Room discounts (79%), a free night’s stay with booking (51%) and free Wi-Fi (45%)

　　TripBarometer also reveals that travel review websites surpass feedback from family and friends as the “most useful” sources of information when U.S. travelers are researching and planning a trip.

　　U.S. travelers said the “most useful” sources of information were:

　　Travel review websites — 49%

　　Web-based travel agencies — 19%

　　Travel operator websites — 14%

　　Friends and family — 9%

　　Other — 4%

　　Social media — 3%

　　Travel magazines and brochures — 2%

　　High street travel agencies — 1%

　　With travelers going online for their travel research and planning, they are also showing preference for online as the primary booking channel. In the U.S., the majority of travelers are booking via accommodations’ websites (32%), closely followed by web-based travel agencies (28%).

　　In line with these findings, U.S. business owners report their own website as the channel that generates the most bookings (50%), followed by the telephone (22%).

　　According to the TripBarometer, 62% of U.S. travelers think it is beneficial that properties allow them to book an accommodation via a mobile device. Similarly, 78% of accommodations think it is important to allow guests to book their property on a mobile device.

　　However, despite the perceived importance of mobile booking capabilities and consumer demand for this, only 37% of U.S. businesses currently engage with guests via mobile devices. Of those that do engage with travelers via mobile, 69% allow guests to book rooms on mobile devices.