TripAdvisor Business Survey Reveals U.S. Hotels Optimistic on 2012 Economy

U.S. Accommodations are Industry's Most Optimistic about the Economy and Profitability in 2012; Trail Global Average in Plans for New Property Acquisitions

News provided by

TripAdvisor

Feb 21, 2012, 08:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of the annual TripAdvisor Industry Index — one of the world's largest hotel business surveys, incorporating responses from more than 9,000 accommodation owners and managers worldwide, of which 1276 were from the U.S. The Index, TripAdvisor's first of this size and scale, gauges the industry's outlook for the year ahead. Among the survey's key findings: the discovery that 65 percent of U.S. respondents are optimistic about the prospect of an economic recovery in 2012, a full 27 percent higher than the global average of 38 percent.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO )

U.S. respondents also expressed a bullish outlook on their own profitability in 2012. Seventy-six percent said they expect their businesses to be more profitable in 2012 than they were in 2011, as compared to a global average of 58 percent.

This optimism extended to hiring plans. Twenty-seven percent of U.S. respondents said they are planning to create new jobs in 2012, while the global industry average was slightly lower at 22 percent.

"The TripAdvisor Industry Index reveals an economic optimism among U.S. accommodation owners which reflects data showing one-third of U.S. travelers are planning to increase travel spending in 2012***," said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business.

The TripAdvisor Industry Index reveals the hospitality industry's top trends, ranging from hotel representatives' economic outlook and plans to engage travelers using mobile devices to property investments and the top deals hoteliers plan to offer their guests.

Social and Mobile Marketing: Engaging Travelers Online and "On the Go"
	U.S.	WORLD
Social media marketing:
Expect social media marketing budget to increase in 2012 (of those who had such a budget in 2011)	52%	50%
Plan to monitor social media for mentions of the property	80%	76%
Plan to respond to guest reviews about their property on TripAdvisor	91%	87%

Mobile marketing:
Plan to offer a program to engage travelers using mobile devices (e.g., a mobile app, special offers on mobile, booking through a mobile device) in 2012	61%	53%

Plan to offer a program to engage travelers using mobile devices for the first time in 2012	27%	28%

Property Investments: Renovations and Acquisitions
	U.S.	WORLD
Planning to purchase/build new accommodation properties in 2012	13%	17%

Services and Amenities: Free or Fees
	U.S.	WORLD
Plan to add services or amenities in 2012	28%	38%
Foresee adding fees for services or amenities in 2012	10%	15%
Plan to offer free in-room Internet access to guests in 2012	89%	77%

Top Deals and Special Offers: Attracting Guests in 2012
	U.S.	WORLD
Discounts on rooms	59%	52%
Special amenities/services (e.g., free Wi-Fi Internet access)	58%	56%
Free parking	38%	32%

"Hoteliers' plans to engage with travelers using social media and mobile devices are also important trends this year," said Petersen. "While it's encouraging to see so many planning to respond to online guest reviews in 2012, TripAdvisor's data show that only 15 percent of property reviews currently have management responses. The owners and managers who follow through on plans to respond to reviews will have an advantage over their competition."

For more data from the TripAdvisor Industry Index, please download the report here: cdn.tripadvisor.com/pdfs/email/IndustryIndex_English.pdf

Methodology
The TripAdvisor Industry Index survey was designed in conjunction with Brainbox Research and conducted from Dec. 21, 2011 – Jan. 4, 2012. The survey was sent by email to a random sample of global accommodation owners and managers and generated 9,441 completed responses worldwide. Some of the questions in the survey were offered in a "select all that apply" format and therefore result in responses that yield percentages totaling a number greater than 100 percent.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 18 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 65 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor's travel media brands include: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.