For Thai travellers, a property’s health and safety practices remains the most important factor as they decide where to stay. A property’s health and safety practices features among the top two priorities of more than 42%, followed by the ability of a property to create a contactless experience.
When arranging their accommodation, 53% of Thai travellers plan to book directly with their chosen venue, with over 40% stating they will book directly online and 12% stating they will book directly via either phone or email. This compares to the 24% that plan to use an online travel agency.
“While adapting to meet new expectations, creating a safe experience is crucial, but it is only one aspect of what local operators need to be focusing on. Hoteliers should be considering their customers’ full experience, and this extends to how they book their stay,” continues Haines. “Our data suggests that guests are now seeking a closer connection to the venue they are staying with, which means that hotels need to ensure their website is full of insightful, up-to-date content, and that includes compelling direct rates and promotions. Of course, hotels should also make sure that potential customers can book in an easy, secure and mobile-friendly way in order to meet the elevated expectations of travellers.”
Interestingly, more than half of Thai travellers will either definitely (19.74%) or likely (31.26%) be working while on the road on an upcoming trip, highlighting the need for hoteliers to also be well set up for this segment.
For a full breakdown of this year’s survey, access the Thai edition of SiteMinder’s 2021 Changing Traveller Report here.
