News for the Hospitality Executive |
NEWTON, Mass., July 30, 2012 -- TripAdvisor®,
the
world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of the latest
TripAdvisor Industry Index™, the world's largest
hotel
survey. With more than 25,000 responses from hoteliers around the
globe, and
over 5,000 from the U.S. alone, the survey has revealed some startling
findings
about today's top hospitality industry trends. Among the key findings:
U.S.
hoteliers expect pricier rates for travelers ahead of the Fall travel
season,
as nearly half (47%) expect rates to go up higher this year compared to
the
same time last year, while only 16 percent expect comparatively lower
rates. TripAdvisor's biannual hotel survey has also
uncovered a
number of other industry insights, including accommodations' business
outlook,
how they are engaging with travelers on social and mobile platforms and
their
plans to offer eco-friendly programs. Bright Business Outlook for U.S. Hotels The U.S. ranks fourth in the world for
hotels with the best
business outlook, while Greece ranks last, according to respondents'
answers to
a number of questions gauging the perceived health of their business. Most Positive Outlook: Most Negative Outlook: Larger Properties Most Profitable and
Optimistic Thirty percent of U.S. accommodations
reported to have been
extremely or very profitable within the last six months, up from 27
percent
when TripAdvisor conducted its last Industry Index survey in Dec. 2011.
By
comparison, 24 percent of accommodations in the Caribbean and 21
percent in Canada
indicate they have been profitable in the last six months. Across North America, larger properties
(with over 50 rooms)
reported to be more profitable than smaller properties (with 50 or
fewer
rooms). In the U.S., 34 percent of larger properties indicated that
they had
been extremely or very profitable, compared to 24 percent of smaller
properties. In the U.S., accommodation owners' economic
outlook has
diminished slightly, as 62 percent now expect the economy to improve,
down from
65 percent in Dec. 2011. Economic outlook, however, appears to vary by
property
size: 67 percent of larger properties and 57 percent of smaller
properties
expect economic conditions to improve a little or a lot in the next six
months. Mexico and Caribbean, Not U.S., Best
Place for Hotel
Jobs in North America According to the survey, a greater
percentage of Mexican
(21%) and Caribbean (20%) hoteliers plan to increase the size of their
staffs
than their counterparts in the U.S. (15%). In the U.S. plans to hire
have
dropped down from 27 percent, according to TripAdvisor's Dec. 2011
survey. Outside of North America, hoteliers in India
(39%) and Brazil
(34%) are reportedly the most likely to increase the size of their
staffs,
while hoteliers in France (6%) and the UK (8%) are least likely to add
new
employees. Room Rate Rankings: Who's
Increasing/Decreasing Rates
ahead of Fall Top 5 for Lower Rates: Top 5 for Higher Rates: Special Offers and Deals: How U.S.
Accommodations Win
Guests Top 5 Special Offers: Twelve percent of U.S. accommodations do not
offer any
special offers. What's with Free WiFi? Social Media Rankings Show U.S.
Falling Behind Ranked #13 in the world for usage of social
media to attract
travelers, the U.S. (69%) trails behind Malaysia (89%), Indonesia (84%)
and Mexico
(83%) who all topped the charts. In the U.S., 70 percent of hotels and 69
percent of B&Bs
reported using social media to engage with current or potential guests.
Overall, across property types and sizes, respondents cited industry
research/reports
(57%) and staying current with the competition (30%) as the top reasons
why
they are using social media, while posting deals (64%) and responding
to guest
feedback (58%) were the most common responses for how they are using
these
sites. Thirty percent of respondents monitor
mentions of their
property once a day with 56 percent reporting that internal staffs
manage
monitoring responsibility. In both cases, these were the most common
responses. In U.S., Hotels Outpace B&Bs in
Mobile Marketing
Eco-Friendly Programs: 'Win-Win' for
Hotel Budgets and
Environment Ranking #7 in the world for eco-friendly
practices, U.S.
hoteliers (81%) are staying ahead of their counterparts in Mexico
(75%), but
trailing behind Canada (91%). The most common eco-friendly programs are
towel/linen reuse
(82%) and energy efficient light bulbs (78%). When asked why they offer eco-friendly
programs, respondents
cited cost reduction (66%) and industry trend (51%) as their top
rationales. "The TripAdvisor Industry Index underscores
the current
economic climate, as hoteliers in North America, Asia-Pacific and Latin
America
are all approximately twice as likely to report being profitable in the
last
six months that hoteliers in the EMEA region," said Christine Petersen,
president, TripAdvisor for Business. "What's encouraging is the
traction
accommodations are making in the areas of online, social and mobile
marketing.
While currently only a quarter of respondents offer programs to engage
with
mobile device users, we expect this number to grow, especially since a separate TripAdvisor survey confirmed that 44
percent of
travelers plan on using their mobile phone or smartphone more as a
travel
resource during trips this year." For more data from the TripAdvisor Industry
Index, please
download the report here: http://cdn.tripadvisor.com/pdfs/email/IndustryIndex2012_NA_US.pdf
Methodology About TripAdvisor TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites
under 19
other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 69
million
unique monthly visitors.** TripAdvisor, Inc.'s travel media
brands include www.airfarewatchdog.com,
www.bookingbuddy.com,
www.cruisecritic.com,
www.everytrail.com,
www.familyvacationcritic.com,
www.flipkey.com,
www.holidaylettings.co.uk,
www.holidaywatchdog.com,
www.independenttraveler.com,
www.onetime.com,
www.seatguru.com,
www.sniqueaway.com,
www.smartertravel.com,
www.tingo.com,
www.travel-library.com,
www.travelpod.com,
www.virtualtourist.com,
www.whereivebeen.com,
and www.kuxun.cn. *Source: comScore Media Metrix for
TripAdvisor Sites,
Worldwide, May 2012 **Source: comScore Media Metrix for
TripAdvisor, Inc. and
its subsidiaries, Worldwide, May 2012 ©2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights
reserved. |
Contact:
TripAdvisor, Inc |