In Brief: A new study finds that the gap in guest sentiment between hotels, hostels, and vacation rentals has narrowed, indicating that non-hotel accommodations are achieving comparable guest satisfaction levels and intensifying competition for traditional hotel operators.
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Study: Guest Experience Narrows Sentiment Gap Among Hotels, Hostels and Vacation Rentals – Image Credit Unsplash
Travelers with firsthand experience reported Joy Index scores within two points across hotels, hostels and vacation rentals.
Hotels were the most prevalent accommodation type among U.S. travelers surveyed by the Brand Joy Lab, with 69% reporting a hotel stay during the past five years. Vacation rentals were used by 36% of respondents, while 9% reported staying in a hostel.
The study found similar guest sentiment across the three lodging categories among travelers with firsthand experience. Hotels, hostels and vacation rentals each recorded Joy Index results within two points of one another for past guests.
For travelers without prior experience in a lodging category, anticipated joy was lower. The findings indicate that actual stays, rather than accommodation type alone, influenced traveler sentiment.
The survey also identified a difference between past use and potential consideration. About 71% of respondents said they would consider a vacation rental, compared with 41.6% who said they would consider a hostel.
The study outlined different expectations for each lodging type. Respondents associated hotels with privacy and security, vacation rentals with togetherness and comfort, and hostels with convenience and community.
For hotel, hostel and vacation-rental operators, the findings point to the role of pre-booking information in communicating the guest experience and addressing expectations before arrival.
The full white paper can be found at: www.peteramayer.com/content/trial-by-sleep
