SiteMinder: 2022 passenger change analysis report

SiteMinder's hotel booking data from January to August this year showed that global bookings hit a new high in April, exceeding the same period in 2019, and bookings in May remained at 90% of the level before the epidemic.

In June, bookings in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines returned to 2019 levels for the first time, driving bookings higher across Asia.

Despite the pessimistic economic situation, passengers' intention to travel has increased

87% of travelers surveyed said that planning their trip would make them happier.

53% of people said that travel is important to their physical and mental health, and some respondents said it is extremely important.

Although the cost of living is rising, many travelers are still willing to spend money on travel and believe that these unforgettable experiences will make them more spiritually enriched.

Data shows that 85% of travelers are prepared to spend more money on accommodation, and breakfast, view, room size, spa, etc. are all plus points for them.

At the same time, 91% of bleisure travelers (leisure + business travel) are willing to spend more on accommodation, 9 percentage points higher than leisure travelers.

In terms of booking channels, 37% of travelers will book accommodation through OTAs, and 27% of travelers will choose direct booking channels.

The report pointed out that in order to seize the needs of travelers, hotel operators need to publish room listings on at least five OTA platforms and use meta-search, market sentiment tools and discount codes to increase direct bookings.

Marketing through digital platforms

As passenger demand rebounds, passengers are more receptive to media advertising.

The report data shows that 78% of respondents do not object to hotel operators pushing suitable rooms to them through advertisements, and this proportion even reaches 86% among millennials.

The relationship between travelers and hotel operators has also become closer, and they are more willing to book rooms through search engines.

88% of respondents are willing to receive personalized advertisements from operators occasionally or even frequently after checking in.

With the surge in the number of social media users, many platforms have become channels for online booking and brand marketing.

Generation Z and millennials, as core user groups, drive the influence of social media.

The data shows that 43% of travelers surveyed said they are often or always influenced by social media when making travel booking decisions.

Looking at each market, Thailand has the highest percentage of travelers who say they are greatly influenced by social media, at 78%, followed by China (75%) and Indonesia (74%).

Bleisure travelers pay more attention to the accommodation experience

As remote work and working while on vacation become trends, the popularity of bleisure (leisure + business travel) has also increased.

36% of travelers surveyed said they might need to work during their next trip.

For them, a hotel is no longer just a place to sleep, but an upgraded version of home.

In terms of age distribution, Generation Z has the largest number of bleisure travelers, accounting for 49%, followed by Millennials (46%) and Generation X (34%).

65% of travelers surveyed in Thailand combine leisure and business travel, the highest proportion among all countries, followed by Indonesia (62%) and China (47%).

When it comes to the choice of accommodation type, different customer groups have different concerns.

60% of leisure travelers said that subtle elements such as the smell of a property, art installations and music in a restaurant often influence whether they will stay again next time, while the proportion of bleisure travelers who are influenced by these factors reached 78%.

Building trust is even more important in the digital age

In the era of digital technology development, passengers also pay more attention to network security.

68% of travelers surveyed said they would be likely to change their opinion of a hotel operator if the operator did not use technology appropriately.

When travelers book rooms on a hotel’s official website, their main concern is the word “trust.”

More than half (57%) of travelers surveyed believe that a simple and secure booking and payment process is the most important, 50% of travelers believe that there should be relevant videos and photos of the rooms, buildings and staff, and 48% of travelers are more concerned about address information.

Travelers who prefer to pay later want to know as much as possible about the accommodation before they check in.

More than 70% of the respondents said that if they had the opportunity, they would be willing or would definitely experience the Metaverse in advance.

More than 90% of travelers from China and Indonesia are interested in the Metaverse experience.

Many travelers are also more cautious in choosing payment methods.

Travelers in countries such as Italy (56%), Spain (54%), Australia (52%), France (49%) and Germany (49%) have a higher proportion of those who choose offline payment.

71% of Chinese travelers prefer online payment, far exceeding the proportion in other countries.

It was followed by Indonesia (60%), the United Kingdom (57%) and Thailand (49%).

The proportion of American travelers who choose online and offline travel is 45% each.

Human connections are still important

While enjoying the convenience brought by technology, travelers still value human interaction and connection with the local community.

In addition to external factors such as currency exchange rate and hotel location, the most important factor that attracts travelers to stay again is staff and customer service (43%), followed by memorable experience (39%) and unique hotel style (30%).

Another 23% of travelers believe that a hotel’s close connection with the local community is attractive to them.

Other factors include free benefits (20%) and loyalty programs (15%).

Although contactless check-in has become a trend during the epidemic, nearly 90% of travelers still expressed their hope that hotel staff would be present when checking in.

However, travelers from Indonesia (82%), China (76%), Thailand (72%), Italy (57%), Spain (55%) and the United States (52%) still prefer self check-in.

In addition, 87% of travelers hope that hotel operators can help them understand local culture and history to make their trip more meaningful.