We analyzed more than 12 million guest reviews across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland - here’s what they tell us about DACH hospitality in 2022.
#1 An Impressive Travel Recovery in 2022, above the EMEA Average
For DACH hospitality, 2022 was the year of resilience. Facing multiple challenges, the industry recovered at an accelerated pace in terms of demand.
DACH review volume reached 83% of the 2019 numbers.
The latest numbers from the German Federal Statistical Office show that overnight stays are just 9% below 2019. Austria was also getting closer to pre-pandemic levels - with overnight stays at 10% below 2019. Switzerland recorded the best result - with demand reaching almost 98% compared to 2019.
International arrivals registered impressive growth in all three countries. Germany saw the highest increase - at 120% growth compared to 2021, followed by Switzerland - +100% and Austria - +96%. The region's attractiveness rebounded after the governments relaxed COVID-19 entry requirements.
DACH Review Volume Evolution, source: TrustYou’s Pulse of the Industry reports, Q1-Q4 2022.
Our review volume analysis shows similar patterns of recovery. The review volume started to get closer to the pre-pandemic numbers in Q2 2022 when authorities relaxed travel restrictions. The third quarter of 2022 marked the recovery peak in volume and percentage reached from 2019 numbers. This is in line with other travel indicators. For example, based on the number of overnight stays, the busiest months in Germany were between May and September. August was the first time overnight stays exceeded the pre-pandemic numbers - by 0.3%.
#2 Positive Feedback Is Steadily High.
In 2022, 95% of DACH guest reviews were positive.
Historically, DACH is known as the region with the highest positive feedback ratio across the territories we analyze. It exceeds EMEA (94%) and global averages (92%) in 2022. There are no changes compared to 2021, indicating a strong focus on maintaining high quality and performance in the industry.
#3 Hotel Driving Performance, WiFi Decreasing Scores
Impact Scores leverage all review data for hotels and fill in the gaps between what people say and how that impacts the scores they leave. With the help of semantic analysis, we extract all relevant data from all reviews. This way, we can estimate the impact that, for example, room maintenance had on a performance score in a particular time span. These scores reflect different semantic categories (Service, WiFi, Parking, Location, etc.)
Impact Scores are split into negative and positive impact. For each category, we show how many points you can lose or gain from your performance score.
We look at the global and regional top and bottom three Impact Scores influencing hotels’ performance each year. Here are our key findings for the DACH region:
TrustYou’s 2022 Top and Bottom DACH Impact Scores Influencing the Performance Score of a Hotel.
The top and bottom three DACH Impact Scores give a general overview of what hotels must focus on to drive their performance. Hotel, Service, and Room were the categories that positively influenced hotel performance the most. On the other hand, WiFi and Price negatively impacted performance. It’s worth noting that although Food entered the bottom three categories, it positively impacted performance in 2022. With the highest positive feedback ratio, seeing fewer categories with negative impact makes sense. It is also a sign of a strong focus on quality and improvement.
A Detailed Look at Subcategories
Hotel: The Rise of Water Park Hotels
In 2022, water park resorts were trendy and brought higher scores. They represented an alternative for those who didn’t plan a vacation near the sea or wanted to enjoy all the activities that a water park offers with their families.
For hotels that don’t fit in this specific subcategory, there are other improvements you could make to increase your score. A focus on creating a feeling of comfort and coziness resonates well with travelers. Keep the common areas clean and refurbish them when needed. Think of bold designs when it is time for a complete refresh.
Service: Friendly Staff & Management = Happy Guests
Two subcategories that drove performance were Service Friendliness and Management. When guests stay at a hotel, they expect to feel welcomed and cared for. Service friendliness plays a significant role in creating that experience. Focus on delivering a great customer experience for your guests and training your staff to shine through their attitude and behavior. Setting an example for your teams will raise the standards and prove to your guests that you ultimately care about offering high-quality services.
Room: View and Balcony
Few things can compare with a stunning view of a busy city, snow-covered mountains, or hills full of green pastures. After harsh lockdowns and few possibilities to travel, DACH guests appreciated having a beautiful view from their room, preferably equipped with a balcony.
WiFi: Primary Need in the Maslow Pyramid
With more digital nomads hitting the road and the rise of bleisure travel, WiFi earned its place in the travelers’ survival kit. Guests who experience poor WiFi connection are more likely to leave negative reviews, which can harm a hotel's reputation and reduce future bookings. In a competitive hotel industry, a reliable WiFi connection is a differentiator and essential criteria for travelers looking for accommodations.
WiFi Cost was among the bottom scores across all quarters. If you are charging WiFi costs, establish a clear policy and inform your guests about it starting with the booking process.
Price is a Major Concern for Hoteliers and Travelers Alike
Price was a major pain point in 2022 for the DACH guests and hoteliers. At the end of 2022, most of the industry agreed that energy, gas, and heat costs were the biggest challenge they had to face in 2022, and most likely, this will be a concern in 2023 as well. Inflation hit everyone hard, and both the industry and travelers searched for ways to adapt and cope with the pressure of increasing costs.
One of the subcategories most likely to decrease the performance score was Food Costs. To get higher scores, implement strategies that could help reduce food costs, such as identifying high-margin dishes, optimizing the menu, and negotiating with your suppliers to maintain high-quality and customer satisfaction.
Food: You’ll Never Go Wrong with Pizza and Something Sweet
Pizza is among those few dishes almost everyone loves. DACH guests were inclined to leave higher scores if the property they stayed at offered pizza. Desserts & Fruits was another popular subcategory bringing positive impact. Make sure to diversify your menu and provide these all-time favorites where possible to keep your scores high.
#4 Booking.com Was the Preferred Platform for Leaving Reviews.
Where did guests leave reviews for the DACH properties?
Booking.com was the go-to source most guests preferred in 2022. Eight out of ten reviews came from there.
A European market leader, Booking.com strengthened its position this year compared to 2021. Our analysis shows a four-point increase - in 2021, 75% of the guest feedback came from booking.com.
Google, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia didn’t register any significant changes compared to 2021.
Top 5 Third-Party DACH Review Sources in 2022. TrustYou Surveys were excluded for a more accurate representation.
Why It Is Important to Have Reviews Displayed on Multiple Platforms
While Booking.com is the most popular platform for leaving reviews, travelers prefer to read feedback before booking accommodation on other platforms. Our recent research shows that the first stop for travelers who want to read reviews is the hotel’s website and Google.
Feature reviews on both these platforms. In this way, you help travelers in their decision-making process and increase the chances of getting booked. Use our Meta-Reviews to offer immediate and customizable review content compiled from thousands of reviews on your website. For your Google page, you can use our Push to Google feature to make your surveys visible to millions of travelers.
In 2022, we saw a 37% increase in surveys pushed via Google compared to 2019 and a 51% increase from 2021.
#5 Number of TrustYou Surveys Getting Closer to Pre-Pandemic Numbers
DACH TrustYou Survey volume reached 89% of the 2019 numbers.
This number is slightly higher than the overall review volume recovery, indicating that more guests are willing to leave a review using a survey sent by the hotel. There are multiple benefits to distributing your survey. With a Post-Stay Survey, you increase the chances of getting more reviews. By asking relevant questions, you can capture insightful information from your guests. More data will help you refine the guest experience, and other travelers will be more inclined to book their next stay with you.
With all the challenges the industry faced in the last three years, 2022 was a year of impressive recovery. The DACH sector proved its resilience and continuously adapted to increased demand while recovering from COVID-19, dealing with inflation and a worldwide economic and political crisis. Travel strengthened its place as an ultimate standard of luxury, an escape from everyday life, freedom, and happiness. Consumers are determined more than ever to live life to the fullest by discovering new places, having more experiences, and connecting with people.
The numbers from 2022 point that a full recovery in 2023 is more than a possibility for the DACH sector. For hoteliers, it will be crucial to continue adapting on the go and having the right data to make informed decisions that will translate into happy guests.
Are you looking to get more insights from your reviews? Contact us today to see how powerful data from reviews can help you make your guests happy.
*2022 and 2019 data were requested at the end of each quarter in 2022. Due to the dynamic nature of the database, with reviews and hotels being updated, the numbers may vary if data were requested at an earlier or later stage.
** the report includes rounded numbers for a clearer data representation.
*** Q1-Q4 2022 subcategories were requested separately at the beginning of 2023. For this article, we selected the most impactful subcategories from the top/bottom three.
**** for top review sources, a smaller sample (1.05 million DACH guest reviews) from our database was used to reflect all third-party review sources.
Catalina Brinza
Catalina is a social media and data enthusiast. At TrustYou, she's on the mission to bring the most out of travel and hospitality data. One day, she hopes to experience Japan's culture to its fullest.
About TrustYou
TrustYou is on a mission to make guest communication and feedback simpler and more productive. All communication channels, together in one place, is the new way of doing business. Today, customers expect instant responses on their preferred communication channels. As a subset of communication, feedback is the foundation to build better products, services and companies.
TrustYou helps companies win through the power of listening and provides a Guest Experience (GX) Platform that makes listening to customers easy, powerful, and actionable. The platform unlocks the potential of guest feedback and helps to:
- Create unlimited opportunities to listen and respond to guests’ needs.
- Understand all reviews across the web and make better business decisions.
- Publish hotel reviews on the website and on Google and allow positive feedback to influence bookings.
TrustYou empowers companies to earn trust, make better decisions, and ultimately, win.
Find more information on TrustYou and our GX platform on www.trustyou.com.