[Consumer study] What to consumers consider when booking a hotel?

There certainly are many ways of booking a hotel. The hotel website, a booking site, or the app versions are just a couple of examples. We wanted to determine how consumers go about booking a hotel and what goes into their decision. So we asked them in this consumer study.

The methodology

We completed the entire study of 100 respondents through Voxpopme’s Influence community in a few hours.

We combined quantitative and qualitative questions in the study, and the platform neatly packaged the results in one dashboard.

On the quantitative side, we asked:

• Are you planning to go on vacation this summer? (This was a screener question with only “yes” answers advancing.)
  • Yes
  • No
• Where are you staying? (This was also a screener question, and only “hotel” answers advanced.)
  • Airbnb
  • Hotel
  • Rent a property
  • Staying with friends or family
  • Camp
• How do you book your hotel?
  • Travel agency
  • Hotel website
  • Booking site
  • Mobile app for hotel
  • Mobile app for the travel booking site
  • Telephone call
  • Other

On the qualitative side, we asked:

• What do you consider when booking a hotel?
• Tell us what items do you consider when choosing a hotel and why?
• Are you influenced by the brand of the hotel, and why?
• Why do you book the way you book?

Read next: Not sure what to ask? Check out Voxpopme’s tried and tested open-ended questions for video research.

The results

Here’s a  quick highlight reel of reactions:

The quant results

Almost half of the respondents said they use the hotel’s website to book. About a quarter said they use a booking site.

The qual results

Respondents recorded a quick asynchronous video message for the qual questions – selfie-style, directly from their phones.

The automatic sentiment analysis showed that 50 percent of all statements were positive, 13 percent negative, and 37 percent neutral.

Unlike the quant questions – which are self-reported answers – this sentiment analysis pulls from what respondents said in their video responses.

The automatic theme explorer and Word Cloud gave me an idea of some of the most mentioned topics.

At times, I also use the Theme Builder and my knowledge of the subject to build and group themes for topics that I consider related.

The analysis

Next, I read through the transcripts of the responses. This is an easy way to read some more in-depth, skim ahead when applicable, and go back to previous answers in seconds.

Examples of what people consider when booking a hotel:

• Location
• Online reviews
• Price
• Quality of online pictures
• Amenities – like breakfast
• Size of rooms
• Availability of suites or connecting rooms for families
• View from the room
• Smokers would like to know where they can smoke
• The brand reputation of the hotel
• Availability of discounts
• Premium features – like hotel clubs

Where to next?

There are undoubtedly many follow-up surveys that can be done when booking a hotel and the different types of travelers.

In the follow-up study, consider asking travelers which of the items mentioned are the most important ones they consider and then why.

Read next: How you can use video surveys for your next project!