Inernet Marketing Impacting the Hospitality Industry
Internet marketing trends impacting the hospitality industry
By understanding current Internet marketing trends in hospitality hoteliers can enhance their web presence and utilize the Internet as the most cost effective and up-to-date sales and marketing channel.
An estimated 1/3 of all hotel bookings will be done online this year, and another 1/3 will be directly influenced by online research and planning, but booked offline. By understanding current Internet marketing trends in hospitality, including travel consumer expectations and perceptions, hoteliers can enhance their web presence, and utilize the Internet as the most cost effective and up-to-date sales and marketing channel.
In the past several years, we have all watched the remarkable growth of the online travel marketplace. With an increasing number of travel consumers doing travel research online (75% of adults in the US - TIA), gaining broadband Internet access at home and becoming more and more accustomed to doing business and transacting on the web, we will continue to see this growth across market segments at an ever increasing rate.
This year, 40% of all leisure and 35% of business travel bookings will be done online. By 2010 over 50% of leisure bookings are expected to be online. The percentage of meeting planners researching and booking online is also growing at a rapid pace. An estimated 89% of planners are researching event locations on the web, and by 2008, 41% of all groups and meetings travel revenues will come from the Internet.
The direct online channel will continue to be the main focus for hoteliers. The industry as a whole has realized that not only has the Internet become the preferred channel for travel consumers to plan and book lodging, but the direct online channel is the cheapest form of distribution. The shift from indirect to direct online distribution will continue to be a major trend in the next several years. In 2006 the major hotel brands enjoyed an above the
By understanding current Internet marketing trends in hospitality hoteliers can enhance their web presence and utilize the Internet as the most cost effective and up-to-date sales and marketing channel.
An estimated 1/3 of all hotel bookings will be done online this year, and another 1/3 will be directly influenced by online research and planning, but booked offline. By understanding current Internet marketing trends in hospitality, including travel consumer expectations and perceptions, hoteliers can enhance their web presence, and utilize the Internet as the most cost effective and up-to-date sales and marketing channel.
In the past several years, we have all watched the remarkable growth of the online travel marketplace. With an increasing number of travel consumers doing travel research online (75% of adults in the US - TIA), gaining broadband Internet access at home and becoming more and more accustomed to doing business and transacting on the web, we will continue to see this growth across market segments at an ever increasing rate.
This year, 40% of all leisure and 35% of business travel bookings will be done online. By 2010 over 50% of leisure bookings are expected to be online. The percentage of meeting planners researching and booking online is also growing at a rapid pace. An estimated 89% of planners are researching event locations on the web, and by 2008, 41% of all groups and meetings travel revenues will come from the Internet.
The direct online channel will continue to be the main focus for hoteliers. The industry as a whole has realized that not only has the Internet become the preferred channel for travel consumers to plan and book lodging, but the direct online channel is the cheapest form of distribution. The shift from indirect to direct online distribution will continue to be a major trend in the next several years. In 2006 the major hotel brands enjoyed an above the
References: (http://www.hospitalityebusiness.com). http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/070619_internet_marketing_trends_impacting_the_hospitality_i ndustry/ [23/01/2010] GRAY, W & LIGUORI, S, C, (1996), ‘Hotel and Motel Management and Operations’, Third Edition, Singapore: Prentice Hall Simon & Schuster (Asia) Pte Ltd LEWIS, R, C & CHAMBERS, R, E, (1989), ‘Marketing Leadership in Hospitality- Foundations and Practices’, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Papers For You (2010) "C/M/142. Dissertation. Measuring service quality in a Hotel", Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprttrav6.htm [22/01/2010] Papers For You (2010) "P/B/582. Benefits and problems of small hospitality businesses", Available from Papers4you.com [23/01/2010]