What do travellers want most when booking hotels?

Travellers now prioritise cleanliness over value and location when looking for holiday accommodation, a new survey has found. 

In the study, which was conducted by travel site Skyscanner, over half (55%) of those polled scored sanitation and hygiene practices as ‘extremely important’ compared to price (48%) and location (45%). 

Reward and loyalty programmes were deemed least important (11%) followed by star rating (20%) and brand reputation (21%). 

Proving the shift in priorities post-COVID-19, the majority (73%) of respondents said hygiene practices have become ‘more important than before’ while three in five (61%) said flexible cancellation policies were more crucial now. 

“It is still early days for the industry’s recovery, but travellers have already determined that hygiene and flexibility are the new necessities in the face of COVID-19,” Skyscanner Director of Product – Hotels Ulf Waschbusch said. 

“Moving forward, it is imperative that travel providers not only implement measures to instill consumer confidence, but also find new ways to inform the holiday booking experience.”  

Elsewhere, nearly half (46%) of those surveyed said they would avoid shared amenities and common areas such as fitness facilities while travelling, while one in five (19%) would look for in-room hotel experiences such as private spa treatments and indoor workout videos. Two in five (40%) respondents would also prefer to dine outdoors. 

The survey polled 2,300 Skyscanner travellers from UK, US, Australia (385 respondents), South Korea and Singapore visiting Skyscanner’s site from 12-22 June 2020.

When it comes booking trip accommodation for the future, how important are the following factors on a scale of 1-7? 

Comparing to before the COVID-19 pandemic, how has the importance of each of the following factors changed?  

Since the emergence of COVID-19, how do you think your behaviour might change when it comes to your experience at the accommodation? Tick all that apply.