Less than Half of Travelers think Hotels Understand Them
Worth $7 trillion globally, marketers and businesses are working to capitalize on the enormous potential the travel industry provides. The increasingly competitive space is putting massive pressure on travel brands including hotels to find new ways to maintain relevancy.
Launched today, Accenture’s B2ME Index — an initiative led by the multi-disciplinary team born out of Accenture’s new research and incubation hub in Ireland, The Dock --- reveals the need for travel brands to find new ways to bridge the gap between current offerings and customer experiences. In particular, the research found several disconnects between experiences brands are offering versus the reality of consumer expectations, including the following:
- Less than half (47%) of consumers believe that airlines and hotels understand the customer, and only 39% feel that OTAs (online travel agents) understand them
- Two-thirds (67%) of respondents want brands to use their previous travel information to help them make better travel decisions and only 43% feel that companies know and understand them well.
Overall, the B2ME Index shows travel brands must demonstrate that they know the customer by being able to anticipate and understand their needs and preferences to then create and deliver valuable experiences.