SoJern-亚太地区酒店业现状（英文版）-2018.1-28页-5mb

Summary of the State of the Hotel Industry in Asia Pacific

Core Content

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the hotel industry trends in Asia Pacific (APAC), focusing on search and booking behaviors, path to purchase insights, and effective marketing channels such as metasearch and search engine marketing (SEM). It aims to help hoteliers understand how to engage travelers more effectively, optimize their marketing strategies, and drive direct bookings to maximize ROI.

Main Trends and Insights

US to APAC Travel Trends

• Growth: US travel to APAC increased by 5% in the previous year.
• Search Behavior:
  • Mobile dominance: Mobile searches increase on weekends.
  • Lead time: 24% of travelers plan 90+ days in advance, while 18% book last-minute (0–7 days).
• Marketing Strategy:
  • Display + SEM: A combination of display ads and search engine marketing is key to reaching travelers with long lead times.
  • Retargeting: Useful for re-engaging travelers who have previously visited the website.
  • Content relevance: Travelers like "Michael" are heavy researchers and value detailed information on amenities and pricing.

APAC to APAC Travel Trends

• Growth: Asian travelers within the region show a 14% increase in travel.
• Search Behavior:
  • Mobile surge: Mobile usage is high, especially for inter-regional trips.
  • Last-minute bookings: 25% of inter-regional travelers book within 7 days.
  • Search volume: Early bookers conduct 20% of all searches, with a significant portion of 127 searches for hotels.
• Marketing Strategy:
  • Mobile optimization: Critical for engaging inter-regional travelers.
  • Multi-channel approach: Necessary to maintain visibility and relevance across various touchpoints.
  • Brand awareness: Ensuring your brand is top of mind during the research phase.

Key Marketing Takeaways

• Engagement across touchpoints: Travelers interact with multiple channels and devices during their journey.
• Retargeting: Helps keep your brand in the traveler's mind, increasing the chance of conversion.
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Ensures travelers find your brand directly on search engines.
• Metasearch: A powerful channel for driving direct bookings with a lower cost than OTAs.
• Customization: Tailoring campaigns to the traveler's intent and behavior is essential for success.

Top Channels that Convert

Metasearch

• Definition: A price comparison platform that aggregates hotel rates from across the internet.
• Importance: Enables hotels to compete with OTAs by driving direct bookings.
• Key Players: TripAdvisor, Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, HotelsCombined, Kayak.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

• Definition: A strategy to improve a hotel’s visibility on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Baidu.
• Components:
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): Improves organic search rankings.
  • SEA (Search Engine Advertising): Involves paid ads (e.g., Google Ads).
• ROI and Efficiency:
  • Google offers the highest ROI (12x) and conversion rate (1.5%).
  • Baidu is more relevant for Chinese travelers.
  • Yahoo/Bing is effective for targeting Japanese and US audiences.
• Quality Score (QS):
  • A metric used by search engines to determine ad relevance and performance.
  • Influences CTR, impression share, and CPC.
  • Low QS can result in higher CPC and lower ROI.

Recommendations

1. Select the right digital platforms that align with your target audience and business goals.
2. Optimize pricing for direct bookings to improve metasearch performance.
3. Engage professionals for managing and optimizing digital campaigns.
4. Monitor performance regularly to ensure profitability and relevance.
5. Use live-query connectivity partners to ensure accurate and up-to-date pricing.
6. Invest in SEM to maintain visibility and brand protection.
7. Use generic keywords strategically to capture a broader audience, but focus on specific brand keywords in later stages of the purchase journey.
8. Maintain a minimum campaign expenditure equivalent to SEM to keep the channel active and effective.

Conclusion

The hotel industry in Asia Pacific is evolving rapidly, with increased online bookings, complex paths to purchase, and diverse traveler behaviors. To succeed, hoteliers must leverage data and digital marketing strategies such as metasearch and SEM, while customizing their approach to the traveler’s intent, motivation, and device usage. Engaging travelers across channels and devices is crucial to driving direct bookings and maximizing ROI.