Excerpt from CoStar
Executives with Google, Meta and Amazon agreed how travelers book online is shifting, particularly as Gen Z grows more prevalent, and they shared insights during the 2023 Revenue Optimization Conference on how to make the most of that change.
Travelers' booking and purchasing behaviors are changing, and companies in the forefront of that change online say reaching consumers with relevant data is more important than ever.
Here are some of the highlights from their discussion.
Andy Nguyen, head of insights for travel and telecom at Google, said if there's one thing hoteliers should know about traveler behavior, it's that the most dominant travel-related activity online is researching. Google research found travelers spent three times as much time "planning, booking and dreaming about a trip than on the actual trip" and research continues during the trip itself.
"That means decision-making continues throughout the journey many times over and even after the purchase," he said.
Nguyen said that means hotels need to make sure they have the best content possible, especially video content, to help travelers "confidently choose your brand." And this is only going to become more important over time.
"It's hard to believe, but 75% of Gen Zs say they actively look for inspiring travel content every day," he said. "Compared to all other generations, they are more likely to get inspired with video content, specifically. By utilizing more visual and immersive experiences, you can not only entice travelers to book all of your amazing properties and sites, but you can help them right-size their expectations, driving greater satisfaction on the trip."
Meta
Kirstin Frazell, industry manager of travel at Meta, said at every stage of the booking journey, discovery remains especially powerful. Because of that, hoteliers — and all businesses — need to be doing what they can to bridge the gap between discovery and purchase.
Her example within the Meta ecosystem is how often users open up Instagram with no intentions of buying anything but ultimately decide to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase inspired by advertising.
"That's happening in the travel space," Frazell said. "Every day, people are coming to our platforms to discover destinations, hotels and experiences that they want to take advantage of."
Frazell said social media presence, in addition to driving bookings, helps drive relationships and loyalty.
"Connections fuel your relationships and ultimately loyalty," she said. "You create connections and reward with points."
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