Travel agents in the Asia-Pacific region rate the ease of booking and commission guarantees as the most important criteria when selecting a channel to book hotels.
Key findings in the second Asia-Pacific Hotel Distribution survey by Amadeus (1,050 travel agents across nine countries in the region such as Australia, China, India, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand) include:
1. Cross-selling is still a priority
Cross-selling add-on services are key to ensuring travel agents attract and retain customers who are pre-booking hotel rooms.
Airport transfers and sightseeing tours represent the biggest cross-selling opportunities, with travel agents increasingly offering to help travellers rent cars, purchase concert tickets, make dinner reservations, and even buy metro passes.
2. Ease of booking and commission guarantees drives booking channel selection
This represents a shift in priorities from Amadeus hotel survey (among 700+ travel agents) conducted in 2010 where the amount of commission was considered top priority for travel agents.
Post-sales support on booking modifications is also a key factor, ranking as the third most important criteria when selecting a hotel booking channel.
This is in line with travel agents’ needs when selecting hotels to offer travellers, with guarantee of commissions and post-sales support ranking as the most critical factors.
3. Online reviews/reputation overrule brand power
In comparison to 2010, these findings show a marked decrease in pure brand influence which has been overtaken by user reviews.
70% of travellers check hotel reviews prior to choosing a hotel. This is acknowledged by travel agents who listed additional content like hotel reviews as top five must-have feature in a perfect hotel booking solution.
4. Travel portals continue to challenge travel agents
Travel agents have experienced a gradual decrease in the degree of influence that they have on a traveller’s final choice of hotel.
Customers listen to one in three (32%) travel agents for their hotel recommendations, compared to one in two (51%) from 2010.
Agent advice remains relevant but customers increasingly tend to compare agent offers with options from consumer websites and reviews. 62% of travel agents responded that travellers conduct price comparisons compared to 48% in 2010.
Kartikeya Tripathi, regional director of hotel distribution at Amadeus Asia Pacific, says:
"Travel agents today need to respond to changing consumer preferences by providing a one-stop service to travellers, particularly given the rising demand for ancillary options when travellers book their hotels.
"The ability to cross reference multiple price options and complement the same with reviews, the ability to pre-pay are a must have.
"There is a need to look beyond basic requirements and address the evolving needs of travel agents."
NB:Hotel image via Shutterstock.