How Travelers Choose Accommodation online

The accommodation industry nowadays offers a wide range of lodging alternatives for travelers. Despite the purpose of travel, sometimes it might seem confusing to choose the right place to stay. On the other hand, it is a challenge to stand out from the competition for the accommodation providers as well. Researching and understanding the customer needs can help to facilitate the sales and marketing processes for hotels. The core aim of this research-oriented bachelor’s thesis was to understand the consumer behavior in tourism in terms of accommodation selection online. First, the accommodation industry, its structure and operational environment were investigated. Additionally, the notion of sharing economy applied to accommodation sector was discussed. Second, the commissioning party of the thesis was described. Finally, the theoretical framework presented the studies about decision-making processes of travelers, the main factors influencing their choices and the modern interpretation of a customer journey. The research was done mostly online in a form of a survey on Webropol, as well as distributed on paper in April 2017. The questionnaire was created for this purpose and it consisted of multiple choice and open-ended questions to gather more comprehensive data. Altogether there were 193 answers collected from travelers of various age groups and travel habits. The data was analyzed and presented in figures and tables. The results showed the factors which influence decision-making of leisure and business travelers, in addition to their preferences in hotel selection online. The paper ends with the discussion of the results and suggestions for the commissioner. The recommendations were based on the survey results, theoretical framework and author’s observations. On the one hand, the suggestions were mostly focused on the business travelers, as they were the main target group of the company. Several ways were suggested to improve sales online and attract more business travelers. Also, the need for business facilities in the premises was discussed. Conversely, the leisure travelers seemed more price sensitive, which allowed a company to consider a price strategy to attract them. Moreover, leisure tourists were looking forward a possibility to stay with their pets in the hotel. However, the commissioner did not have appropriate pet policy, which can be improved. All in all, the aim of the thesis was reached, though there is a space for further exploration. The research findings helped the author to get an insight into the subject, and the data will be also used by the commissioner to improve the services