The Majority of Online Travelers: Hotel Visuals Among Top Influencing Factors in Selecting a Hotel O

Nearly 60 Percent Report Low Satisfaction With Quantity of Online Hotel Visuals

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. October 14, 2008

TORONTO, Canada, November 14, 2005. According to a recent survey of 2,931 online U.S. adults ages 18 and over, nearly three in four (73%) who stay in hotels when they travel say they start their stay by researching hotel accommodations online. When asked to consider what factors other than price and location[i] are important in selecting one hotel over another, online travelers[ii] cite the hotel's written description (71%) and visuals[iii] (69%) as the top two most important[iv] factors, according to the survey commissioned by VFM Interactive and conducted by Harris Interactive(R).

By comparison, other factors demonstrated a marked difference in importance, including: information about the destination (62%); property star ratings (60%); the brand of hotel (53%); customer reviews and testimonials (44%); and loyalty program (31%).

Visuals Cited as "Very Important" Most Often

Of the factors online travelers note as "very important" in selecting a hotel online, visuals rise above all other factors measured. More than one in four (28%) rated visuals as "very important," more than the description of the property (23%) and information about the destination (17%). Online travelers are twice as likely to rate visuals as "very important" as they are property star ratings (14%), customer reviews and testimonials (13%), the brand of hotel (11%), and loyalty program (8%).

The survey also revealed that certain groups of online travelers are more likely than others to rate hotel visuals as "very important":

• Those who research hotels online frequently (i.e., 7 or more times per year) (37%) compared to those who research hotels online infrequently (1-3 times per year) (24%);

• Those in households with children (35%) compared to households without children (25%); and,

• Women (36%) compared to men (21%).

Low Consumer Satisfaction with Hotel Visuals Online - Especially Those Distributed Through Travel Web Sites

The relative importance of visuals in selecting hotels online is especially noteworthy as it suggests that the expectations of online travelers for hotel visuals are not being met due to low satisfaction ratings with nearly two out of three (59%) online travelers saying they are "somewhat satisfied" or "not at all satisfied"vi with the quantity of visuals online. This leaves only 41 percent of online travelers who research and/or book hotels online being "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the quantity of visuals online.

Broken down, there is a notable difference in satisfaction levels between online travelers who rely exclusively on third-party travel Web sites (those who only use travel Web sites such as Travelocity and Orbitz and no hotel specific Web sites) and those who utilize only hotel Web sites and no general travel Web sites.