Online reputation in high-end hotels
Online reputation has no impact on hotel bookings of more than 100 euros per night, according to a study published by the Trivago Hotel Manager platform. Although users opt for establishments that accumulate the highest number of positive experiences, the price threshold is usually very present.
The variables “price” and “online reputation” are the ones that have the most weight in the booking decision process of a hotel. Therefore, the Trivago study reveals how they influence the user's purchase decision, although there are also other criteria, such as "location" or "services" that affect the result.
By looking at the chart, a hotel whose online reputation is between 70 and 75 points out of 100 generates an average of 178 bookings per year on Trivago. This figure is 30% above what a hotel rated below 70 points would get, which would get an average of 126 bookings.
The group of hotels with the highest number of bookings is the one with an online reputation of between 80 and 85 points, since it exceeds 200 bookings per year. It may seem obvious that any user would prefer to stay in those establishments with a higher rating, as this is a reflection of the fact that other users have had good experiences during their stays, but the study reveals that not at any price.
If we take into account the group of hotels with an online reputation above 85 points out of 100, we see how the average number of bookings declines, as the average price of these hotels exceeds 100 euros.
In the words of Diego Alonso, head of Trivago's Hotel Manager tool in Spain:“The 100 euros is a psychological barrier for the buyer when booking, so much so that even hotels that exceed an online reputation of 90 points have less than half the number of bookings due to an average price of 128 euros”.
More than 250 3- and 4-star hotels actively marketed through booking websites and with at least 20 reviews in the online world were sampled for the study. Only establishments located in the ten most searched destinations on Trivago during the last month were considered: Barcelona, Benidorm, Cordoba, Granada, Madrid, Málaga, Salou, Seville, Toledo and Valencia.