November 28th, 2022, Bhavika Bansal
The parameters of a good overall customer experience are evolving as the lines between digital and physical experiences continue to blur. A differentiated yet seamless ‘digital experience’ has become critical in not just winning but retaining customers. Leveraging comprehensive multi-channel digital strategies can be the key, for brands across sectors, to creating memorable and successful "digital experiences” for consumers and enhancing their overall experience. But have hotel companies embraced this digital evolution and altered their online infrastructure or are consumers left wanting more?
Data from a recent YouGov poll conducted across 18 markets shows that a quarter of global respondents think hotel companies provide a good digital experience (24%).
While banks (46%) remain a consumer favourite for the digital experience they provide, just a third of respondents are satisfied by the digital experience provided by clothing/beauty retailers (30%), albeit that this sector significantly outpaces sports events (16%) and car brands (14%). In essence, our data tells us that the hotel industry is mid-table when it comes to the experience it provides for travelers.
When we look at consumers who are satisfied with the digital experiences offered by hotel companies by country, the data reveals some interesting nuances.
More than a third of consumers in Spain (34%) - the highest of all regions - think hotel companies provide a good digital experience.
Other Europeans are less likely to share this opinion. While a little more than a quarter of respondents in Italy (27%), Germany (25%) and Sweden (25%) are satisfied with the digital experiences provided by hotel companies, this proportion falls to 22% among consumers in Great Britain and Denmark.
Though a third of Mexican consumers (31%) think that hotel companies provide satisfactory digital experiences, a significantly smaller proportion of their North American neighbours (US, 22%; Canada, 21%) are likely to say the same.
The APAC region registers similarly varied opinions across different markets. While respondents in India (28%) outpace the global average, this number continues to fall across other APAC markets – Indonesia and Australia (25%), Hong Kong (24%), Singapore (22%) and China (21%).
In the MENA region, UAE significantly outpaces the global audience, with a little more than a third of consumers (31%) saying hotel companies offer good digital experiences.
The French round off the list with less than two out of ten consumers in the country (16%) - the lowest of all global markets- satisfied with the digital experience offered by hotel companies. Whether this is a reflection of the performance of local brands or higher French expectations, there is still some way to go before French hoteliers provide their customers with digital satisfaction.
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Methodology: YouGov RealTime Omnibus provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18 and over in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 513 and 2,008 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in August 2022. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov RealTime Omnibus.