Booking hotels online: Hilton Hotel & Resorts voted easiest site to use
New York, US – 11 Feb 2016 – Checkout form validation company, PCA Predict, has today released the results of their annual Online Hotel Survey for 2016, which reveals Hilton Hotel & Resorts as having the easiest website to use.
The survey polled US consumers a range of questions about their hotel reservation habits and experiences including a list of the frustrations consumers have when trying to book hotels online.
Over 28% of customers surveyed rated hidden prices as the most frustrating factor when booking a hotel online, closely followed by a lack of reviews and complicated or lengthy booking forms. The research also highlighted how users no longer expect to receive their hotel booking by mail. Over three quarters of respondents said they would prefer confirmation by email while 15 per cent of 25-34 year olds prefer confirmation via SMS.
One of America’s biggest hotel brand, Hilton Hotel & Resorts, topped the poll as the easiest website to book online with, closely followed by Marriott Hotels and Holiday Inn. Larry Brangwyn Head of User Experience at PCA Predict: “The results highlight a number of areas where poor user experience and website design is damaging the potential of hotel sites and dissuading visitors from booking. Your hotel website is one of the most lucrative and profitable sales channels and your shop window for capturing direct hotel bookings, yet this research suggests they are seldom getting the attention they deserve.”
“We only have to look as far as the success of sites such as AirBnB to see that the hotel industry isn’t exempt from the wave of change towards an increasingly user-centric online world. Given that over 80% of consumers suggested that they would abandon the online booking process due to form usability issues it’s critical hoteliers start taking user experience more seriously.”
Key findings
- With 28% of the vote, hidden prices are consumers top turn off when booking a hotel online followed closely by no reviews (24%) and complicated forms (13%).
- Customers rated reviews, facilities listed, simple forms and secure payment as the top features they expect to see on hotel websites.
- 80% of consumers abandon the online booking process due to form usability issues.
- Women selected reviews as 35% more important to the booking process than men did.
- Consumers no longer to expect to receive their reservation booking by post. Almost three quarters of consumers prefer to receive their booking by email while 15% of 25-34 year olds would prefer to receive confirmation by SMS.
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Media contact for PCA Predict
Natalie Green
natalieg@pcapredict.com
+44 (0) 1905 888 610
