New survey shows Australian travellers happy to fork out for four star treatment

With the online revolution offering travellers instant access to the world’s best accommodation and travel choices, new consumer insights revealed today, show that Australians are increasingly choosing all-star treatment when holidaying, and will use the internet to book it.

According to the results of an online survey, by accommodation provider HotelClub.com*, 75% of Australian travellers prefer to stay in top of the range hotels, with almost two thirds opting for four star accommodation – a 5% growth from 2006.

Increasingly, the internet is also revolutionising the way Australians choose to determine and book their travel arrangements.

HotelClub.com found that 49.5% of those surveyed indicated that they book travel online either through hotel or airline websites (30.6%) or online travel agent (18.9%).

Moreover, it seems consumers are turning away from traditional sources of information about their travel plans and turning to each other, with more than half of the survey participants looking for advice – accessing information through blogs, chat forums and online destination guides.

“The online world has revolutionised the Australian travel scene.”  “With ample choices and variety the internet provides, we’re seeing a major shift in the way Australians are choosing their holiday destinations,” said Ms Chloe Lim, Managing

Director of HotelClub.com, which has experienced a 10% increase in online bookings in the past year alone.#

“Savvy travellers are placing more value on other travellers’ thoughts and recommendations – word of mouth is beginning to play an even greater role thanks to the ease of communication provided by the internet.”

“This evolving environment is shaping the travel industry, and is something that everyone in the travel industry needs to sit up and be aware of,” added Lim.

The online survey by HotelClub.com was undertaken from April to June 2007 and received more than 55,000 hotel nominations.

The survey is the second consumer-driven free text survey undertaken to find the region’s best hotels and resorts, and results have been released in the lead up to the HotelClub.com Hotel Awards 2007, which recognise the best hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands with winners announced in Sydney later this month.

Commenting on the Hotel Awards Lim said, “With few awards voted for by consumers, the HotelClub.com survey recognises that consumers no longer want to be told where to travel and stay. They give the industry the most accurate picture possible of what their consumers are in fact demanding today,” Lim said

HotelClub.com offers over 30,000 hotel accommodation choices in 4,500 cities and 120 countries worldwide. HotelClub.com has over 3.5 million consumer ratings and reviews that provide independent advice on each hotel

Key HotelClub.com Australian insights:

** Australians utilise online communities and resources – 56% of survey participants use booking engines, online guides and user reviews to determine their holiday plans

** The internet is the most influential channel used to make travel purchase decisions with 51.1% of respondents indicating they use the internet for research on their travel purchase, followed by word of mouth (26.2%), and magazines (7.1%) 

** Australians are choosing to travel more frequently – with a 10% increase in just over a year in the number of Australians travelling between two and four times a year

** The two most popular travel related products to be purchased online over a 12 month period were accommodation (38%) and tours (19%)  

** Leading factors influencing the respondents’ hotel selections were location (47%), price (29%) and facilities (16%).

** Australian consumers are increasingly turning to the online environment to book their holidays, with HotelClub.com alone seeing a 10% growth in bookings over the last 12 months (period January-July 2006 versus 2007)

Report by The Mole