Social media a winner for travellers
The 2014 Accor Hotels Social Media Monitor has revealed that four out of five travellers follow brands on social media, adding weight to the amount of social engagement a brand has with its customers.
Accor worked with ORC International to survey over 6500 travellers across 13 countries to uncover the social media habits of its guests across Asia Pacific.
According to the survey, Chinese and Vietnamese users are the most keen followers, with Japan, Australia and New Zealand the least keen, while women and younger travellers were found to be the most likely to follow a brand’s social networks.
Hotels are still the biggest opportunity in social media with almost half of travellers following a hotel brand in Asia Pacific, proving much higher than those who follow airlines or other travel-related brands such as online travel agents.
When it comes to seeking immediate assistance, Malaysians and Filipinos are first in line to use social media, while Chinese and Hong Kong users are more likely to turn to social networks seeking VIP treatment.
Indonesian users enjoy showing their support and affinity with a brand via social media, while women are hot on the trails of brand deals and discounts compared to men.
Airlines comes first in countries with a strong national carrier, such as Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, with other travel-related brands coming in third in the list of brands users follow on social media.
Fashion and music brands only hit the top three in Vietnam and Japan, and, as cliché as it sounds, men tend to follow the sport and finance brands, compared to fashion and cosmetics brands for women.
With regards to the key motivation for following a brand, the top two spots have swapped from last year and people now want to get information first (74%), and deals second (71%).
Overall, Thais and Japanese are the hungriest for information, and New Zealanders and Singaporeans are the top bargain hunters.
“By understanding what our guests are looking for when they engage with our brands online, we can better target the messages and services we offer them, whether it be in-hotel deals, advice on the best attractions within a city or access to VIP services,” Accor Asia Pacific’s vice president for guest experience Emilie Couton said.
Travellers were also shown to use hotel pages on social media more before and after their stay, with two out of five using it to search for information, and almost half of respondents following the brand after their stay.
“Engaging on social media with guests while in-house is a great opportunity for us to impact positively on their experience,” added Couton.
“We need to give guests good reasons to follow individual hotel accounts by providing content relevant to each stage of the trip and giving them something that will enhance their visit.”
The good news is that one-third of travellers have already booked a hotel after having seen an advert on social media, with younger travellers the most likely to do so, along with the Vietnamese, Thais, Filipinos and Chinese.
Overall, there is a good vibe around social adverts in the online space, with only 12% of respondents admitting they felt the ads to be harassing.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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