HawkPartners 2012 Hotel Channel Study: Travelers Rank Hotel Websites and Third Party Sites Most Important Channels

Proliferation of distribution channels presents hotel marketers with opportunities and challenges

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Feb 21, 2012, 08:33 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, HawkPartners, LLC released results from its 2012 Hotel Channel Usage Study, based on survey data from over 1,200 business and leisure travelers, which provides insight into how hotel marketing executives can most effectively reach specific customer segments.

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The proliferation of marketing channels presents both new opportunities and challenges for hotel marketing executives. Hotel marketers need to better understand how different marketing channels engage and deepen relationships with customers, and which channels drive revenue most effectively. This study identifies which specific channels:

Are most important for driving hotel evaluation, selection and booking
Drive top-of-mind recall, intent to stay again and likelihood to recommend
Are best suited for branded communication with targeted customer segments

"With so many options, today's hotel marketers need to know which channels most impact a traveler's decision-making process," said Brooke Hempell, partner at HawkPartners and co-head of the firm's Hospitality Practice. "The findings from this study help marketers develop integrated marketing strategies to leverage the right channels at the right time."

Key takeaways:

Among those in any hotel loyalty program, hotel websites are the sources most relied on for researching and evaluating hotels, followed by loyalty program websites
Among those not in any loyalty program, online travel websites – led by Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, and Orbitz – are relied on most
Online review sites – with TripAdvisor the clear leader – are also key to the evaluation and selection process. Word-of-mouth/personal recommendations also strongly influence selection, especially among those under 30
Promotions and incentives are clear drivers of selection, but also drive brand recall and intent to recommend – far more than above-the-line brand advertising
The single most important driver of a future booking is a positive prior experience--making guest service a key investment
Loyalty programs are also cited as one of the most important reasons to book a particular hotel, especially for business travelers and luxury hotels

"Knowing how to invest in owned media channels such as holidayinn.com, or our other brand sites, can be critical to the success of a guest's booking experience," said Del Ross, vice president, U.S. Sales & Marketing, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group). "It can have a tremendous impact on where the guest is going to book the next time they are looking for a hotel stay."

Stacey Symonds, director, Consumer Insights at Orbitz Worldwide, added: "The travel marketplace continues to become more crowded with hotel suppliers, OTAs, travel research and meta search offering overlapping promotions, information and even pricing. It is now even more important that travel marketers provide a clear value proposition and brand differentiation to help consumers understand the 'what's in it for me?' that leads to brand choice and preference."

To learn more about the Hotel Channel Usage Study, please visit http://www.HawkPartners.com. Custom presentations of the study segmented by hotel tier, traveler type and demographic are also available.

About HawkPartners, LLC

HawkPartners is a marketing consulting firm that works at the intersection of market research and marketing strategy to help industry-leading, Fortune 500 clients make fact-based business decisions. HawkPartners helps its clients, including leading hospitality companies, to develop game-changing marketing strategies and help them better understand their customers and competitors. For more information about HawkPartners, visit http://www.HawkPartners.com.

Media Contact:
Pattie Mercier
Carlton PR & Marketing
978-807-2972
[email protected]

SOURCE HawkPartners