Women more cautious over online hotel bookings, finds survey

Thursday, 30 May, 2007 0

Women are more cautious than men when booking hotels online, according to a survey by Utell.

The survey of more than 1,600 business and leisure travellers in the UK found that 31% of women were concerned about inaccurate product descriptions online than men, compared to just 19% of men.

According to Utell, this scepticism might stem from the fact that women are much more likely than men to book accommodation based on hotel facilities, with 61% of women rating it as a key factor compared to only 43% of men.

The ‘Utell Us 2007’ research also found that consumers are turning more to independent hotels for leisure and business trips, with 92% of respondents considering the hotel brand to be least important when choosing accommodation.

Overall, 15% said they actively prefer to stay in independent hotels, but this trend was more notable among older travellers, with 19% of the over 55 age group preferring to stay in independent hotels compared to just 11% of 16-24 year olds.

The survey was conducted as Utell launched its new Collections. – Utell Golf, Utell Spa, Utell Luxury and Utell Boutique.

Further Collections are planned for launch over the coming months and designed to make it easier for travel agents and consumers to find the most suitable hotel for their specific needs.

By Bev Fearis

Bev

Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.

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