Briefing: The guest comes first

When working hard to keep up with the competition it is easy to lose track of what it is really all about – the guest. According to TripAdvisor, ‘1 in 3 travellers (33%) are planning to spend more on travel in 2016’ – good news for the industry. Any strategy changes you make should consider how you can serve the guest better. Never overlook that sometimes the most basic expectations make a difference, for example ‘63% of travellers say air conditioning is a must-have.’

In these videos our experts discuss understanding what guests want:

So what choices are guests making in 2016? TripAdvisor’s research has found that, ‘1 in 5 global travellers have visited a destination because they saw it on a TV show.’ The research suggests that guests are out to find adventure; ‘69% of travellers plan to try something new in 2016’ and 17% are planning to try solo travel for the first time.

Understanding who is booking with you and how they want to do it means you can make the process as smooth as possible for them. Research by NetAffinity found that overall the 25-34 age group make the highest amount of bookings, while the 65+ age group has the highest average value per booking. They also found that almost a quarter of bookings happen between 8pm and 11 pm and 61% are made on a desktop.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.