STUDY: Hygiene outranks price and location as top criterion for booking holiday accommodation

Housemaid in uniform and gloves wipe the table with rag in hotel room
By Travel Weekly


New research has highlighted how much the coronavirus pandemic has altered the way people will travel, including how they decide on holiday accommodation.

A survey of Skyscanner’s global customers found that, when it comes to booking a property in the future, 55 per cent scores sanitation and hygiene practices as ‘extremely important’, compared to price (48 per cent) and location (45 per cent).

Reward and loyalty programs ranked lowest (11 per cent), after brand reputation (21 per cent) and star rating (20 per cent).

This shift in traveller preference can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, with survey respondents saying that hygiene and sanitation practices (73 per cent) and flexible cancellation policies (61 per cent) have become ‘more important than before’.

The Skyscanner data also revealed that the hotel experience as we know it today will be reshaped.

Nearly half (46 per cent) of those surveyed said they will avoid shared amenities and common areas such as fitness facilities.

Furthermore, 40 per cent said they would also prefer to dine outdoors, if given the option, while 19 per cent will look out for in-room experiences offered by the property such as private spa treatments and indoor workout videos.

There are also differences in preference amongst Australia travellers in different age segments, according to Skyscanner’s survey.

Travellers over 35 years of age are more likely (52 per cent) than those under 35 (40 per cent) to avoid shared amenities and facilities (52 per cent) in vacation properties post-COVID, while those under 35 (31 per cent) are more likely to look out for in-room offerings like fitness videos and cocktail making kits compared to travellers over 35 (18 per cent).

Featured image source: iStock/Ilya Ginzburg

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