Why the Travel Industry Isn’t Ready to Go Completely Digital
Students Conduct a Survey of the Hospitality Business
While there’s no doubt travelers rely on smartphones, tablets and other devices to ensure a great travel experience, it turns out those glossy, print brochures found in hotel lobbies are still an important tool, too.
That’s according to hospitality professionals who are on the front lines of the tourist experience. According to a new survey, hospitality industry professionals believe the brochures they make available in hotels provide a valuable resource for guests, and they say guests use the brochures 88% of the time.
The survey, conducted by students at Bentley’s Center for Marketing Technology (CMT) and commissioned by Visitor International, the International Association of Visitor Information Providers, analyzed 891 responses from hospitality professionals at locations in North America - United States, Canada and Mexico; in Europe – Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Spain; and in South Africa.
Hotels continue to believe in the value of providing visitor information for their guests by way of a brochure display and 97% of the surveyed properties consider visitor information as very or extremely important for their guests.
“Sharing information in printed maps and guides is a shared experience that highlights the knowledge of the hospitality professional," says Ian Cross, director of the Center for Marketing Technology. "Print brings together local knowledge, the physical environment and the highly tactile experience of paper to enhance the visitor experience."
Bentley’s Center for Marketing Technology is on the cutting edge of marketing, research, technology and strategy. Students, educators and business partners have daily access to the latest trends, newest technologies and in-depth research that is shaping the future of marketing practices. Corporate clients in the United States and abroad benefit from collaborations and strategic consulting projects with the CMT, while enjoying access to world class marketing expertise, experienced CMT team members and the center's cutting-edge marketing technology.