The Present is the Future – or Is It? Voice Search for Hotels
Digital innovations are consistently changing how marketing is undertaken and how consumers behave. Indeed, one of the most eye-catching examples of this might prove to be online-based voice-search redefining how consumers browse and book hotels. If that sounds like the future, in many ways it is; in that it’s not happening a great deal yet. And yet, to some extent it’s very much happening right now.
The present
It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the reality is, as you read this, artificially intelligent chatbots are being used by travel companies for customer booking services – a chatbot being, of course, a computer programme that can conduct an auditory conversation with someone. The ‘voice assistants’ of the Internet giants (Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google’s ‘Google Assistant’) are quickly becoming more sophisticated and, thus, increasingly popular with consumers. At this stage, limitations obviously exist, but fierce competition (something that’s rife in the hotel trade, naturally) will drive innovation. Indeed, the travel search company Kayak recently teamed up with Amazon to integrate its services with Alexa so users can, via the voice service, search for flights and hotels and check real-time fight details.
Give the people what they want
What will really drive the growth of voice-activated search, though, is whether there’s a genuine market for it. Whether people actually want to engage with their digital devices in this way, instead of tapping away and reading their screens. Well, if the statistics are anything to go by, it seems that they probably will – last May, Google announced that voice searches already account for one in every five (20%) of its mobile-based enquiries.
Moreover, the sort of hotel room choices that customers are being offered – at least by online travel agents (OTAs) – are urgency-based; deliberately designed for them to make ‘best price’ instant decisions over considered contemplation. However, it’s quite possible that voice-based search could spell an end to this; with price-pressuring giving way to customers themselves initiating the search conversation with open-ended questions that are more speculative than (at least) OTAs presently like.
Evolving technology
Of course, once successfully established, voice-activation searches would benefit too from ever improving, ever smarter technology. This would likely give rise to voice-search tools learning from a customer’s past behaviour and, thus, offering highly personalised recommendations. For example, a search query for a flight to a specific destination may also result in the software suggesting a hotel choice, should the searcher have previously booked a hotel as well as a flight for that destination.
What would this mean for the accommodation itself? Well, think of how hoteliers presently focus on ensuring their hotel search engine optimization is targeted so their properties appear as highly favoured a result on search pages as possible; in this scenario they’ll need to make sure this is just as true as ever, so their hotels are recommended along with relevant flights – literally in the booker’s ear.
The future?
Much of the above is, of course, a series of predictions; yet informed forecasting. The likelihood is that, thanks to voice-activated assistance, hotel searching will become faster, more intuitive and far more personalised. As noted above, should it become dominant, hotels will have to and bend with this new direction (just as they had to when it came to embracing the popularity of mobile and the advantages that’s brought in terms of marketing and booking). Chances are then it could be a digital marketing hot potato for hotels this year… or maybe in the very near future, at least.
Welcome to the 21st Century… if you haven’t done so already, it’s time to get your business on board the digital marketing train, before all your competitors disappear down the tracks. But where to start? One of the most popular forms of paid search marketing – advertising that exploits the power of search engines (i.e. […]
Converting Lookers into Bookers: Building a Hotel Distribution Strategy That Works
It’s an understatement to say that, in recent years, marketing a hotel has become more complicated. The digital revolution has expanded booking opportunities – leading to a dizzying array of online travel agents (OTAs), website opportunities and social media platforms to take advantage of, and direct booking engines to build and deploy. So, where does […]
Personalisation Leads to Higher Engagement in The Hotel Business
In the hospitality and travel market, email marketing can be personalised effectively. This is accomplished through a variety of simple techniques. By building customer profiles for your niche market, it becomes simpler to personalise emails that will address every client individually. Tips to use personalisation as part of hotel marketing solutions: Use names: The easiest […]
For any business to succeed it has to have a strong reputation in the market. While the reputation of any business was subject to word of mouth publicity, things have changed in this digital age. Now it is the virtual world or the internet, which makes or breaks a business’s reputation. Reputation does matter As […]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.