• by Tanya Gazdik , July 13, 2017

Nearly one-third (31%) of consumers prefer to receive offers about booking and merchandising online, on either the hotel or travel website, according to iSeatz, a travel technology company.

Only 13% say they’d like to receive the offers via a text message, within the app (12%) or as a push notification (7%).

The research also found that consumers find offers helpful during their travel booking process (47%), as well as during the hotel check-in process (48%). Additionally, Millennials were more open to online offers than the older generations with nearly one-third of 18-24 year-olds saying the offers are very helpful.

Nearly half of those surveyed found offers from the hotel for supplemental travel products helpful during the online booking process (47%), as well as during the hotel check-in process (48%). Younger consumers in particular were more open to receiving offers of this type, with nearly a third of both 18-24 and 25-34 year-olds rating such offers as being very helpful. 

When it comes to which in-destination services travelers would be willing to pre-book, younger travelers, aged 18 to 34, selected activities from the hotel, such as museum and attraction tickets, while older consumers, aged 55 and up, chose activities such as early/late check-out and dining at the hotel instead of sightseeing tours. All generations said that they are “most likely” to consider purchasing hotel dining from the hotel or early check-in/late check-out.

“ISeatz has seen a marked increase in demand to incorporate a broader range of products in our partner implementations in order to enhance customer experience and capture an increased share of the customer wallet through upselling and cross-selling, no matter the device,” said Kenneth Purcell, founder and CEO of iSeatz, in a release. 

In reaction to companies that offer more comprehensive range of products and services to customers during the accommodation booking process, that have been two main results. First, is better customer service for the guest and second is higher revenues or increased share of customer wallet for hoteliers, according to iSeatz.

The survey also found that consumers in general preferred to receive ancillary offers during the online booking process.  Nearly one-third (31%) of consumers noted that they preferred to receive ancillary offers on the hotel or travel website during the primary booking process. A substantial number were also open to receiving such offers within the hotel booking confirmation email (23%) or in a pre-arrival email from the hotel (19%). 

Despite the prominence of mobile devices, and perhaps because of their intrusiveness, fewer consumers expressed a desire to receive such offers through their mobile phone, irrespective of whether it was delivered as a text-message (13%), within the hotel app (12%) or as a push notification (7%). And within the destination, most consumers preferred to use a traditional concierge service to make bookings (25%), with fewer expressing a preference for automated services such as self-service kiosks (12%) or in-room technology such as smart TVs, tablets or other devices (13%).