The new preferences in accommodations. Despite continued challenges due to the Delta variant, many countries around the world, thanks to successful vaccination programs, have started to relax travel restrictions and social distancing requirements.
In a recent wave of research, conducted using the Traveler Panel, STR sought to find out if the accommodation preference changes seen in previous research were still evident, despite significant vaccination progress in many countries.
Same but slightly different?
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The most recent findings show a familiar picture compared with the previous research. Many accommodation types were still perceived more negatively compared with before the pandemic. Smaller types of accommodation continue to attract more interest as consumers adapt to living in a Covid-19 world. In July 2021, traveler interest in short-term rentals was 15% above the pre-pandemic level of interest.
Consistent with previous research, hotels with less than 50 rooms also recorded higher interest compared with before the pandemic. Also the latest data shows that cancellation policies are still important. However, location, price and reviews are now the three key determinants when choosing accommodation.
Luxury versus economy
Consumers were also asked for their views on different classes of hotel accommodation. Overall, travelers are still less interested in staying at hotels now than compared with before the pandemic. Interestingly, economy and budget hotels were perceived significantly more negatively than upscale and luxury hotels in the current environment.
Continuing to reassure guests about COVID-safe measures will help to encourage travel at a time when lingering anxieties about the virus remain. Effective marketing will be another important component to enable the recovery of the accommodation industry. The current evidence shows that some sectors may have to be more inventive and creative than others in luring back customers.
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