Google Compete : Travel Hotel Consumers: How Online Research Affects Bookings. Summary

• Half of all hotel researchers indicated researching exclusively online  Friends, families and colleagues were the most-used offline sources to learn about hotels

• Half of hotel shoppers reported using search engines in their research. Online clickstream behavior indicated that a third hotel shoppers are referred by search to a hotel website

•  Price was the leading reason for why consumers booked on a specific hotel website Receiving rewards/points was also a strong driver

•  Higher costs per night and longer stays increased the length of time consumers spent  researching hotels online The share of researchers using online sources also increased for longer hotel stays

• Nearly a third of hotel shoppers indicated viewing an online advertisement during their research process. Booking online was the most dominant channel. 

• Only 1 in 6 bookers indicated booking over the phone or in person Hotel bookers are using fewer travel sites to conduct research than year-ago levels indicating more focused shopping activities