Who doesn’t like to travel? For all the awesome adventures, there have to be some horror stories.
I’m collecting personal accounts of traveler’s pain points, especially surrounding the booking process. Any feedback is appreciated. And there are some questions below to get you thinking.
This questionnaire is designed to gauge if there is a need for a different reservation service in the hotel industry. Feel free to complete as many or as few as you like. Thanks for Sharing!
Keep in mind that most of the questions aren’t referring to one particular hotel but how you, the customer, selects which methods to book a reservation at a hotel. For example, booking directly on the Hilton website or similar site, booking on a third party site like Expedia or Priceline and/or calling the hotel directly. AirBnB can also be considered in your answers. I understand there may be some redundancy with some of the questions but please be as detailed as possible; and even answering just a few questions is always helpful.
What is most important to you when booking a room and why?
A) Cost; I like to save as much money as possible when booking
B) Amenities; I want to know I’m getting a lot of value for my money
C) Brand loyalty; I always try to book within the same hotel group
D) Other
When was the last time you had a problem with a booking site or reservation process? Could be direct booking or third party site.
A) In the past month;
B) In the last 6 months;
C) In the last year;
D) Over 1 year ago
E) Never
What could have been done to solve it?
A) Better customer service;
B) More transparency of booking/cancellation policies;
C) App/site accessibility
D) Communication to the property of my desires.
Is there anything that annoys you when you book online? How can your online experience be better?
When taking a vacation and saving some money, how long do you shop around before booking a reservation?
A) No more than a few hours
B) Maybe 3-8 hours over a few separate occasions and different sites
C) 8-12 hours over several separate occasions and different sites
D) 12-20 hours over several separate occasions and different sites
E) More than 20 hours over several separate occasions and different sites
How are current offerings under performing for you? Which features are you missing? Are there performance issues that annoy you or malfunctions you can cite?
What are the main difficulties and challenges you encounter? Do you feel you have a good understanding on how rates are generated and the reservation process works? Do you have difficulties getting certain things done and therefore avoid certain sites or methods of booking? Or do you resist particular functions for specific reasons?
What negative social consequences do you encounter or fear? Are you afraid of a loss of face, power, trust, or status? Do you think the way in which you book says something about you? If so, what? Do you think others make assumptions about you because of the way you have made your reservation, whether it be people you respect or even the Front Desk Agents?
Are you afraid of financial, social, or technical risks, or are you asking yourself what could go wrong if you book this trip? Anything that can be done to alleviate this?
What would you wish for more or less of during the reservation process?
What do current booking sites do you use most often that delights you? Which specific features do you enjoy that keep you coming back?
What performance and quality do you expect? What would make your job of booking the best room for the best rate easier? Could there be a flatter learning curve, more services, lower costs, more accuracy and completeness?
What would increase your loyalty to a particular booking site? How can a reservation system get your loyalty? More features? More options? Less options? Better look or feel? Free stuff and perks? Rewards points? Credit card points? Promises fulfilled?
Are there problems that you have that I may not even be aware of? What would you like to share with me?
Nate
Perhaps you can short your interview to just a few important questions and then ask further details? It may help you to get more responses.