New travel trend survey reveals travellers are gaining confidence
Hospitality tech company Cloudbeds highlighted nine key booking and travel trends set to shape the future of the hospitality and hotel industry in its 2022 Travel Trends Report
The report has used multiple reputable resources from across the travel industry, including Expedia, Vrbo, Airbnb, and Skift, in addition to hospitality data platforms such as hotel company STR to form its conclusions. It offers insights into how the pandemic has influenced three major changes in booking habits that will impact lodging businesses in 2022.
Travel Trends Report 2022 also provides useful tips on how to respond to these changing trends, as well as invaluable recommendations to hoteliers and property owners on what areas of the business to invest in, and useful tools and techniques on how to adapt, upgrade and promote their offering to optimise every available revenue-making opportunity.
One of the biggest impacts of the pandemic is that travel demand has been consistently unpredictable. Even factors such as location and seasonality are no longer as reliable as they once were. Much of the unpredictability has been driven by lockdowns and changing border restrictions, which has forced many travellers to cancel or change their plans at the last minute.
Travel searches are increasing
Travel searches from Europe, the Middle East and Africa to the US increased 95 per cent week-over-week on Expedia after the White House announced it would soon lift travel restrictions for international visitors who are vaccinated.
A staggering 79 per cent of travellers are now booking within 14 days of their stay date, up from 24 per cent in the previous year, according to STR. Flexibility remains a priority for many travellers: nearly one in three say that an accommodation provider’s cancellation policy is one of the top three factors influencing a booking.
A growing number of travellers are taking advantage of the flexibility by ‘trip stacking’, booking two or more trips over the same travel period in case Covid-related issues ruin their preferred travel plans.
Extended stays are also rising in popularity: per Airbnb’s Q3 2021 earnings report, long-term stays of 28 days or more are the company’s fastest-growing trip length and accounted for 20 per cent of nights booked that quarter, up from 14 per cent in the prior year’s quarter.