A new report from Site Minder, the world’s largest open hotel commerce platform, highlights an evolved German traveler with significantly higher demands and higher expectations of the hotels they stay at.
Site Minder’s Changing Travelers Report 2021: Germany Edition, based on survey responses from over 900 German holidaymakers, found that while the majority (58.04%) plan to travel as much or more than before Covid in the coming year, almost all (94.91%) now have the same or higher expectations of their web host.
The results follow SiteMinder’s announcement earlier this month that Germany’s hotel booking momentum had exceeded the global average of the Global Hotel Index, for the first time in more than 275 days, marking a welcome step in the recovery of the local sector. However, while the growing enthusiasm for travel is positive news for a hospitality sector that was supporting 2.4 million jobs before the pandemic, SiteMinder says the results also illustrate the need for local hoteliers to work smarter to to meet the high standards of their customers.
“Now is the time for accommodation providers to improve their offering, with higher booking volumes increasing alongside an increase in customer needs,” said Clemens Fisch, Regional Director DACH & EMEA at Site Minder. Is it easy for them to book through the website? How do they register? How do they pay? And, most importantly, is it easy for them to recommend the property to family and friends after they leave? The hoteliers who
Positively for German hosts, Site Minder’s report highlights the many travelers who claim their personal data is being used to improve their stay. More than four-fifths of Germans (81.91%) are not opposed to their personal data being used to improve their visit, which Site Minder says offers a new opportunity for hoteliers to meet the new level of standards now expected .
“Increasingly, we are seeing the importance of personalized communications and experiences as a way to retain our hotel guests.As hotel booking momentum grows locally, companies that have made the decision to get closer to their customers and analyze their personal data, for actionable insights, will win more customers. Technology is an investment that will pay dividends.
The results largely mirror those of UK and Spanish travellers, where 96.74% and 98.15% respectively have the same or higher expectations of their accommodation provider than before the pandemic. In these countries, 60.86% and 69.64% respectively plan to travel as much or more than before Covid, in the coming year.
In an age of increasing choice and accessibility for curious travelers, SiteMinder exists to free hoteliers with technology that makes a difference. SiteMinder is the world’s largest open hotel commerce platform, ranked among the technology pioneers for its smart and simple solutions that put hotels wherever their guests are, at every stage of their journey. It’s this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of more than 35,000 hotels, in 160 countries, to drive more than 100 million bookings representing more than $35 billion in hotel revenue each year.