(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 21, 2009 ) Yesterday I wrote about our reliance on computers when choosing pretty much everything – from homes to hotels to holidays – but now, in a refreshing blast from the past, a new survey has found that nearly half of British travellers still rely on professional travel guidebooks when choosing a hotel – proof that the humble book hasn’t had its day...
The hotel price comparison site Trivago.co.uk found that 45 per cent of the 4,000 British travellers they surveyed relied on old fashioned travel guide books to choose their holiday and hotels rather than turning to the internet.
I am always tempted to check out online reviews before booking anywhere but, despite the growth of these websites, only seven per cent of those surveyed said they were the main influence on their choice of hotels.
This new research follows a report by a US market research company, PhoCusWright, which claimed that the number of travellers using review sites was falling.
It said the number looking at reviews declined from 55 per cent in October 2007 to 46 per cent in October this year.
Advertising and holiday brochures were deemed to be most important by 15 per cent of respondents and ten per cent of Brits based their decision on experience.
Surprisingly, even with the weak pound, the price of the hotel was only listed as the fourth most important factor for Brits.
The reputation or affiliation to a hotel chain influenced the decision of four per cent of respondents. Only two percent of British travellers booked because of a friendÂ’s recommendation.
In other countries the results are very different. The Spaniards are the biggest bargain hunters: Hard hit by the economic crisis, 45 per cent of Spanish travellers stated that the price as the most important factor when selecting a hotel in 2009.
The Germans also indicated that the price was the most important criterion (35 per cent), as well as the Italians (34 per cent). From the French respondents, 60 per cent stated that advertisements and holiday brochures were the most important factor.
TheMoveChannel.com is a property website that was founded in 1999 as an online resource for buying, selling and learning about property. It now receives as many as 300,000 visits per month and advertises over 50,000 properties in nearly 90 countries, which are listed by over 500 partner organisations.
