The Alliants Guest Experience Study analysed over 90k social media conversation data points relating to luxury hospitality.
Couple enjoying the sun on a yacht.
Customers are focusing on facilities and service when choosing a hotel, according to a study from Alliants and Pulsar looking at social media mentions.
The report, which centred around the luxury segment, found that key areas of concern were booking and transportation, highlighting opportunities where hotels could differentiate themselves from the competition.
The research was based on 90 thousand social media conversation points which took place between February and June 2023, focusing on luxury hospitality mentions across sources including Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and review sites.
Facilities were the leading factor when deciding on a venue, followed by service, with price in third place.
Within the luxury brands, Shangri-La garnered the most positive sentiment, with Taj in second. The most popular type of travel linked to the Shangri-La brand was the family holiday, with 88.1% of mentions. This was followed by business travel at 9%.
Of the other brands, Ritz Carlton saw 61.1% of mentions linked to family holidays, with 18.3% considering romantic breaks and 16% business travel. At Four Seasons it was 45.8% family holidays, 25% weddings and 20% business travel.
Kashif Yamin, Alliant’s SVP for Data & Strategy said: “The luxury sector remains dominated by leisure travel, with guests planning relaxing getaways with their families. Facilities and service are of primary importance for them and it is important that hotels live up to high expectations if they are to deliver the exceptional experiences customers dream of.”
Guests were eager to comment on good and bad experiences on social media, with the good describing the personalised experiences and close attention they had received, with phrases such as ‘home from home’ being used. Complaints centred around tired facilities and poor customer service, including ineffective communication.
“We’re seeing holidaymakers turn to visually-orientated platforms, such as Instagram, to share holiday highlights,” shares Dahye Lee, Marketing Research Lead at Pulsar. “While community-orientated platforms, such as Reddit, operate more as forums for advice and planning conversations.”
When looking at the concerns which social media users raised, 29.2% mentioned bookings, 28.0% transportation and 21.6% planning.
Sustainability was a common theme, garnering a high number of mentions around areas such as environment, healing, retreats and green initiatives.
Kash adds: “Customer experience is not just about the hotel itself, but the relationship which it builds with its guests. This happens not only during the stay, but before and afterwards. Hotels can use digital communication to stay in touch, providing a method they are used to in their daily lives, which gives them an easily-accessible line of contact.
“Hotels can offer to assist with transportation and other pre-arrival issues, ensuring that the guest is able to enjoy a luxury experience even before setting foot on the property.”
This study underscores Alliants' expertise in leveraging vast amounts of data to deliver deep, actionable insights for the hospitality industry. At Alliants, we're driven by a profound understanding of the guests’ experience, which enables us to help luxury brands put the 'guest first' in their strategy.
Ready to tap into the power of data and transform your guest experience? Get in touch with us to find out more about our data capabilities and how we can help you exceed guest expectations.
Pulsar is the world’s leading audience intelligence company, helping organisations to understand their audiences and create messages that matter to them.
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