Every single luxury travel advisor recently surveyed by Fauchon L’Hôtel Paris, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, said that it is important for a hotel to offer “an authentic sense of place” versus a “cookie-cutter brand design.” The hotel surveyed advisors to determine what really matters to their clients when selecting a hotel.
Fauchon said, “This is clearly a departure from when travellers preferred the consistency of knowing no matter where in the world they travelled, they would find the same carpeting, bedding, décor, amenities and overall experience.”
Along these lines, 87.5% and 85% of clients want cultural experiences and unique, destination-oriented experiences, respectively. A sense of place within the hotel can help bring both to life. (On the other end of the spectrum, just over 1% of advisors reported that clients are primarily looking for family options, relaxation or safe destinations.)
Beyond desiring “an authentic sense of place,” travellers also heavily consider hotel location (97.5%) and staff and service (82.5%). That said, after returning from a trip, about six in 10 clients mention the “warm and welcoming service they received” while only 21.3% mentioned the “great location.” Interestingly, among the least commented-on factors was “the value for their dollar.”
The importance of loyalty programs remains low, too. Just 1.3% of advisors said most of their clients request hotels with loyalty programs all the time. Five percent of advisors said clients want loyalty programmes “most of the time” and 59.8% want them “sometimes.” Meaning: More than a third (35%) don’t have a preference whether a hotel has a loyalty program.
There are, however, some offers that draw the interest of clients. Seven in 10 advisors said a “complimentary night” was most important to their clients, among hotel offers, with an “added complimentary VIP amenity” coming in a close second. Other deciding factors were “enhanced commission” for the travel advisor, “percentage discount off the room rate” and “added value in food and beverage.”
Among the most-requested “must have” facilities or amenities in a hotel are spa services and a fitness centre (both 56.3%); 24-hour room service (51.2%) a fine dining restaurant (46.3%) followed. Multiple dining options, concierge services, included breakfast, dual sinks, and number of beds in a room all received less than a 2% response rate.
Special occasions and events are a major driver of travel, the survey found. Ninety percent of advisors said their clients are travelling more frequently to celebrate these types of experiences.
That said, clients, overall, are booking the same length of stay when compared to last year (66.3%). Nearly the entirety of the remainder, however, are booking “longer than usual” stays (32.5%).
