Carlson survey bashes online ‘myth’
GTMC Conference Special: Booking hotels cheaper online has been exposed as a myth by a new Carlson Wagonlit study.
It revealed rooms booked through traditional agents were as cheap, if not cheaper than their online rivals in the vast majority of cases.
The survey also showed there was more availability in virtually every comparison.
Carlson Wagonlit worldwide hotel and car relations vice president David Witham said the survey – which checked all the major online players and has been independently verified – proved online was not all it is cracked up to be.
Unveiling the results at the Guild of Travel Management Companies conference in Oman, Witham said: “We had the highest availability 96% of the time and had the lowest price or joint lowest price 70% of the time.
“You can occasionally find the lowest price on online but it’s certainly not a given.”
Time spend searching online – only to find rooms were unavailable – was also prohibitive while prices were not always transparent, the survey revealed. He said some online companies displayed a message admitting the tax showed “may not bear resemblance” to the true cost.
“We have to educate the traveller to go to TMC’s,” said Witham.
“The survey showed we do extremely well on price and availability through GDS’s.
We can beat online travel agents.”
Report by Steve Jones
Ginny McGrath
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