Not all guests behind that click are the same
In the past demographic segmentation was by age, occupation, nationality. Useful information no doubt, but traditional demographic segmentation wasn't enough to capture the nuances of a diverse guest base. Nowadays, what differentiates guests from each other is their association with risk, their tolerance for effort, and what they require before confirming payment. For years, and upto recently, the hotel industry has thought in terms of channels: OTA versus direct, mobile versus desktop, last-minute versus advance booking. But the real driver of conversion is not the channel; it is the psychology behind the click.
First - timers, start their search on an OTA such as Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, and Google Hotels as the entry point: where they discover hotels, build their shortlist, and compare options. The hotel’s website and booking engine only come in afterwards, to confirm a choice that is already largely made, not to form it. In other words, the hotel’s website and booking engine come into play afterwards… at the confirmation stage. The challenge, then, is to reassure in order to convert.
Regardless of their profile, most travellers booking for the first time at an unfamiliar property follow an almost identical route. (This journey is fundamentally different from that of a loyal guest, who no longer needs convincing but needs recognising. This is the whole point of a CRM strategy: turning an uncertain first-time booker into a recurring direct guest, whose acquisition cost becomes almost zero. But that is a different story.)
An exploratory qualitative survey conducted by the D-EDGE Product Team reveals four Traveller Archetypes. Understanding their expectations and needs can transform your direct distribution strategy and conversion.
The link between choosing a hotel and confirming the booking is pretty fragile. Remember, these are potential bookers who are in transaction mode. A traveler in a hurry to book (the Impatient Pragmatist) wants a smooth mobile journey limited to ideally, 3-steps, free of friction and completed in less than 90 seconds. He or she wants to get the job done, be it, whilst seated on the sofa watching TV or on-the- go.
Then there is the Cautious Planner- particularly who plan a trip with a young family. They desire a hotel room that comfortably fits the family for a trouble-free stay. Not knowing whether their child will sleep in a real bed, a folding bed or on a sofa, they seek clear details on sleeping arrangements. Usually, such persons would shortlist three to five hotels on price and convenience. What drives them away from choosing a hotel is missing information that forces them to call.
A third category (archetype) of travellers is those referred to as Aesthetic Curators. They seek a luxurious experience with carefully curated design. Essentially, what hooks them is the quality of the facilities on the hotel website. They spend little time on the booking engine but judge its quality instantly. Their method of short listing hotels (at most 3), is based on photos, on mobile. After which they switch to desktop to assess the quality of the hotel’s website. Usually, they expect confirmation of their non-negotiable criteria (e.g., spa, balcony, sea view, etc) including premium extras bookable without leaving the booking journey. They detest a booking engine with a “budget” look, signaling poor/limited service.
The Value Optimiser is the 4th Archetype: Someone who is determined to secure the best possible configuration. They will cross check various sources – OTAs. Google, social media, even ChatGPT and the like to build a comparison sheet for at 5 or more options. He or she will look for exclusive benefits and/or any value addition of each offer – to the extent of being willing to shift dates to unlock better rates or upgrades. There is no compromise on cleanliness or bed quality including room size.
Key takeaways: These four archetypes share the same starting point (the OTA) but differ sharply in what triggers conversion: speed for the pragmatist, reassurance for the planner, aesthetics for the aesthete, and information density for the optimiser. Adapting your booking engine to these four logics, rather than to a generic guest, is the most direct lever for taking back ground from OTAs.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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