International Travel Confidence Grows As Hotel Bookings Exceed 2019 Levels

Thus, our 15th Edition of The Hotelier PULSE Report reveals increasing optimism across the industry. The number of Hotels in shutdown has declined to the lowest levels since April 2020, and the industry average occupancy expectation has increased significantly for all market segments. Furthermore, over 70% of Hoteliers surveyed in May 2021 now expect revenue to increase in 2021 vs 2022.

Download May 2021 Hotelier PULSE Report

We also see early signs that international travel may resume sooner than anticipated, and this edition reveals the largest increase in international bookings since April 2020, accounting for 62% of total bookings in May 2021. The industry’s expectation for International Travel’s contribution to recovery has also increased significantly in line with this trend.

Consequently, Hoteliers surveyed seem less concerned about Shaping Offers around the Local Market and shifting focus toward upskilling the workforce to meet the demand.

However, with widespread vaccination and digital passports expected to reopen travel on a global scale, Europe-based Hotels show significantly lower levels of confidence around the level of vaccination in their respective destinations. Significantly, and likely due to the second and third waves that impacted MICE season last winter, the vast majority of Hoteliers surveyed in May 2021 expect the ‘Level of Vaccination Per Destination’ and ‘Digital Passports’ to significantly impact the uptick of MICE over the coming 12 months.

The Next Steps for Hotels

As the world cautiously reopens for travel, consumers will continue to value information that efficiently guides their purchasing decisions. Hotels - and indeed all sectors of tourism - should focus on providing information to guide and inform their guests as the world steadily returns to normal.

Another key finding in our 15th edition of the Hotelier PULSE Report is that the Direct channel is recovering faster in line with the growing travel demand. Therefore, it is crucial to continue engaging in direct conversations with guests, as partners in their journey. Guests are demanding a direct conversation with hotels as they navigate through the myriad of new travel details and measures. Hotels can grasp this opportunity and invest in the skills, tools, and platforms that ensure interactive communication that should, ultimately, convert into bookings.

As the industry recovers, however, ever-changing restrictions also continue to disrupt both consumer confidence and hotel bookings. Several countries have rolling systems, like the UK’s three-week review of its Green, Amber, and Red destinations, which makes forecasts a challenge. More than ever, hoteliers need to share information and collaborate efforts to ensure an agile response to rapid market changes and effectively capture demand in the upturn.

We live in an era where anything can change at any time. Therefore, the tourism industry needs to be agile enough to react quickly and capitalize on the upturn. If you would like to know what the industry’s expectations will be for the summer of 2021, I encourage each of you to contribute and take our June Survey here.