Travellers presume they are getting a better deal if they book on an online travel agency – illustrating the battle hotels have in getting direct bookings.
Research with 1,000 travellers aged between 18 and 64 has shown that around 75% believe they get the best prices for a hotel stay via an online travel agency.
Speaking during the Direct Booking Summit in London last week, Triptease CEO Charlie Osmond (the company that hosted the event and commissioned the study) says it asked the 25% who do book direct why they did so.
Obviously, a lower price came out on top, but other factors included that it was easier to book (54%) and that the check-in process felt easier and more personal (16%).
Only 19% said they did so because they get loyalty points, whilst 13% believed they had a better chance of an upgrade on their room and 12% figured they would be treated better by the hotel staff.
To the full sample size, when asked what reward a guest should get if they booked direct, 30% said a room upgrade, if available.
A quarter wanted free wifi but nearly one in five opted for free breakfast and 17% would ask for the ability for an early check-in or late check-out.
Although many travellers would not be familiar (or, indeed, care) with the minutiae of how commission structures work between suppliers and intermediaries, Triptease asked them how much they considered an appropriate percentage an OTA should receive from the hotel.
Unsurprisingly, only 1% believed it should more than 25%, with 41% arguing for something in the region of 0-5%.
The other commission levels were: almost a third said 5-10%, just over one in ten said 10-15%, and single digit responses for 15-20% and 20-25%.
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