Business vs Leisure Travelers: 2014 Google Report (Part 4)
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been covering the 2014 Google Traveler Study. This week, we’ll wrap up our coverage of the study with a comparison of the data on business versus leisure travelers. If you’d like to read the rest of our reports on the study, here they are:
- Booking Travel on Smartphones (Part 1)
- Travelers and Video Engagement (Part 2)
- Travelers and Brand Loyalty (Part 3)
Brand recognition
When asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “It is important to me that I recognize a brand I am considering booking travel with,” over half of all hotel bookers agreed. However, it’s interesting to note that 63% of business travelers agreed with the statement, as opposed to 51% of leisure travelers surveyed. Additionally, fewer business travelers than leisure travelers are considering multiple brands or are totally undecided when they begin planning. This may have something to do with another finding: 65% of business travelers belong to a hotel loyalty program, as compared with 42% of leisure travelers.
Extra benefits and perks
While price and convenience are important to all hotel bookers, more business travelers prioritize free in-room wi-fi than leisure travelers. Business travelers are also more concerned with the ability to earn rewards points. Leisure travelers, on the other hand, place more importance on promotions.
Mobile app vs mobile website bookings
Business travelers are MUCH more likely to book travel via a mobile app than with a mobile browser. 60% of business travelers who booked their hotels on a smartphone used a mobile app, as compared with 36% of leisure travelers.
Key Takeaways on Business vs Leisure Travelers
1. Target your guest communications
Since different types of guests can have radically different behaviors, based on their trip type, you should tailor your communications to different groups if possible. A business traveler and a leisure traveler are not likely to want the same things out of their hotel stays. In terms of future hotel guest marketing communications, for example, you could invite a leisure traveler back to stay with your hotel by sending him or her a discounted rate or a coupon to your spa. A business traveler could be offered a free upgrade to a suite.
2.Business travelers love mobile apps
If your property gets a high volume of repeat business travelers, you definitely want to focus your resources on perfecting a mobile app with a booking engine to avoid losing repeat business to OTAs or competitors. Business travelers are much more likely than leisure travelers to use your app to book directly with your hotel.
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