Hoteliers must consider their presence on Google within their marketing strategies as a majority of travellers turn to the search engine for accommodation search and evaluating offerings between multiple hotels, a study showed.

TrustYou, the world’s largest feedback platform, published the findings of a recently conducted travel industry study which showed that 91 per cent of travellers turn to search engines when looking for a place to stay with the majority 81 per cent preferring to use Google.

The study followed the path to decision during the traveller’s search for accommodation and evolution of offers, which play a pivotal role leading to the eventual decision to book.

Another key finding was that a hotel’s TrustScore, or average review rating score, is the second most important factor affecting the booking decision after a hotel’s nightly rate. Furthermore, 88 per cent of travellers sorted out hotels with a TrustScore under three stars, and 32 per cent eliminated those with a TrustScore under four stars.

Search keywords also weighed in when it came to booking online as 77 per cent of travellers search keywords relating to accommodation and/or locations. Fifty seven per cent of travellers search for hotels, 49 per cent search for a location, and 31 per cent search for a combination of the two.

Tracing click-through on a Google’s hotel listing, travellers are most likely (20 per cent) to click on the direct link to the hotel’s website and also very likely (10 per cent) to click on review data provided by TrustYou.

Valerie Castillo, senior director of marketing at TrustYou, said: “Knowing the decision-making path of travellers is essential for hotels to target their efforts and position themselves ahead of the competition. Our research emphasises the importance of reviews in this process, as they account for a vital part of the booking procedure as the second most relevant decision factor after price. Additionally, a higher review score helps hotels to remain competitive and to be shortlisted as a
suitable option for the traveller’s stay, without being preemptively eliminated.”

Castillo added: “Furthermore, by optimising a hotel’s presence on Google, more information is available to drive travellers to the hotel website. In the course of the the study, 20 per cent of users clicked on the hotel listing’s website. It is therefore our advice for hotels to include review information on their website, such as the Meta-Review and TrustScore, to increase direct bookings.” - TradeArabia News Service