REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., July 7,
2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a long stretch of
stay-at-home orders, consumers are eager to get out and travel
according to a new research study from Oracle and Skift. Just over
half (51%) of people surveyed in both North and Latin America plan to book trips in the next
six months, while 38% of those in Asia-Pacific and Europe are planning get-aways. People,
however, are opting to stay closer to home with driving distance
(47%) or domestic trips (44%) being favored. With so much
uncertainty ahead, consumers are also demanding flexible
cancellation and refund policies (76%) and are more open to
considering hotels offering discounted rates (65%).
Consumers' willingness to travel also comes with heavy caveats
for hotels in terms of advancements in cleaning and technology. In
response, 70% of hotels already are or are planning to adopt
contactless technology for check-in, food ordering, concierge
services and more. Ninety percent have or are planning to also
increase cleaning and disinfecting frequency and training for staff
on these procedures and safer guest interactions (89%).
"As the hospitality industry turns a corner on the road to
recovery, technology will be critical to protecting travelers and
workers alike," said Alex Alt,
senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Hospitality.
"Safety rightly remains consumers' top priority when they consider
traveling, and the hospitality industry is doubling down on
technology to facilitate social distancing and reduce face to face
interaction for guests' protection."
The global study, A Data-Driven Look at Hospitality's Recovery,
explored 4,600 consumers and 1,800 hotel executives' attitudes and
outlook on travel, including changes to the guest and employee
experience, booking policies and distribution, and the industry's
recovery outlook.
Shifting Demand, Changing Operations
With
international border restriction and flying concerns, hotels will
be welcoming new types of travelers, making the stakes high to
leave a positive impression that will lead to repeat business and
word-of-mouth recommendations. The survey found that:
- Border closures reshaping guest profile: More than 30%
of executives surveyed said they expected to see a few more or
significantly more domestic travelers, and over 60% were expecting
fewer or significantly fewer international travelers. This may
offer a silver lining for North American hoteliers, 57% of whom
agreed that the greatest majority of their guests were domestic
travelers before the health crisis, signaling a more limited impact
on demand.
- New policies court travelers: Hotels are moving swiftly
to abide by consumer demands with more than 80% of executives
reporting that they were considering or have already made changes
to allow for more flexible cancellation and refund policies.
- Safety will be the new gold standard: Unsurprisingly,
space and cleanliness will remain critical, with 84% of travelers
agreeing that 'creating social distancing' rules for hotel public
spaces will be the most influential factor in their decision about
which travel brands to choose for upcoming trips. Hotel executives
appear ready to meet these expectations, with 82% either
considering or already altering public spaces to enable social
distancing.
Technology Paramount to a Positive Safer Guest
Experience
Technology is enabling social distancing and
cleanliness by reducing the need for in-person interactions and
empowering hotels to deliver 'high-touch' service without the
'touch.' Specifically:
- Hotels go contactless: More than 70% of executives said
they were considering or are already using contactless payment and
digital messaging services, and close to 60% were
considering/already using room keys activated by smartphone.
Consumers concur, indicating that contactless payments (35%),
digital room keys (26%) and digital messaging services (20%) were
among the top three changes that would make them feel more
comfortable staying in a hotel.
- Self-service tools let guests skip the front desk: Over
70% of executives agreed or strongly agreed that self-service
technology will be important to assisting guests while minimizing
unnecessary contact, with two thirds (67%) reporting they were
considering or are already using self-service check-in procedures.
A similar portion of consumers (70%) agreed or strongly agreed
they'd be more willing to stay at hospitality businesses that
implemented these types of services, with 23% citing self-service
check-in via kiosk as a change that would increase their
comfort.
- Ample amenities, less interaction: More than 60% of
executive respondents reported they were considering or already
making changes to expand room service options, and 50% are looking
into expanding meal takeout/delivery options. One-fifth of guests
ranked expanded room service options as a top factor for
alleviating concerns, allowing them to avoid shared spaces such as
hotel restaurants.
Methodology
The Oracle and Skift survey queried more
than 1,800 hospitality executives, from a mix of businesses
including hotels, short-term rental operators, cruise companies,
boutique hotels and casinos, among others, to understand their
opinions about an altered marketplace. Additionally, 4,600
consumers across North America,
Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America were surveyed to understand the
COVID-19's impact on travel plans and expectations for hotel
stays.
Additional Resources:
- Download the Full Report
- Get the Infographic
- Technology Guide for a Touchless Guest Journey: This
comprehensive playbook covers contactless operations, integration
challenges and solutions, technology budgeting, low-touch solutions
and advice to help hotels differentiate their offerings with
innovative and emerging technology.
- Oracle Hospitality Resource Center: A global information
and resource hub to help all those within the hospitality
industry.
About Oracle Hospitality
Oracle Hospitality brings over 40 years of experience in providing
technology solutions to independent hoteliers, global and regional
chains, gaming, and cruise lines. We provide hardware, software,
and services that allow our customers to act on rich data insights
that deliver personalized guest experiences, maximize
profitability and encourage long-term loyalty. Our cloud-based,
mobile-enabled solutions for property management, point-of-sale,
distribution, and reporting and analytics lower IT costs and
maximize business agility. Oracle Hospitality's OPERA is recognized
globally as the leading property management platform and offers
open APIs to serve as a platform for industry innovation. For more
information about Oracle Hospitality, please
visit www.oracle.com/Hospitality.
About Oracle
The Oracle Cloud offers a complete suite
of integrated applications for Sales, Service, Marketing, Human
Resources, Finance, Supply Chain and Manufacturing, plus Highly
Automated and Secure Oracle Cloud Infrastructure featuring the
Oracle Autonomous Database. For more information about Oracle
(NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks
of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
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SOURCE Oracle