Findings from new global survey highlights international travelers’ future expectations of European hospitality sector

Facing a rapidly changing global competitive landscape, the European hospitality sector constantly reinvents itself to adapt to customers’ expectations and desires. HOTREC commissioned TCI Research to conduct a large-scale survey that maps the services and products travelers will expect from hotels and restaurants in the future. The report reveals clear trends and opportunities that hospitality decision makers can use to optimize customer attraction and retention.

The survey promotes 5 key pillars:

1. Global Satisfaction Index TRAVELSAT© rates Europe as strong competitor in meeting international guests’ expectations, with competitive scores among consumers from China and India in particular.
2. Authenticity, flexibility, and a genuine friendly staff are associated as key features in a hotel’s DNA, together with a private and safe environment.
3. Guests appreciate hassle-free hospitality experiences as well as feeling at home … away from home where they can take care of themselves, including services available at any time.
4. Amaze me! Millennial guests look for unique hotels that quenches their thirst for discovery, with cool design, digital innovations and rewarding personalized experiences.
5. European restaurants in lesser known destinations emerging on the scene delight “foodie” tourists and exceed visitor expectations. Restaurants are expected by visitors to provide the ultimate authenticity of a destination, also including safe food.

“European hotels receive excellent ratings from Chinese visitors, which is extremely encouraging in the context of the 2018 EU-China year to come. While guests are looking for privacy and security, the survey highlights the crucial importance of a genuine friendly staff and of an environment offering a broad spectrum of services available at any time. The importance of local tastes experience is highly ranked among guest expectations towards food experiences” explained Christian de Barrin, CEO of HOTREC.

TCI Research CEO Olivier Henry-Biabaud concludes: “Accommodation and food are two facets that will increasingly impact the overall visitor experience at a destination. Having more choices, travelers express a lot of positive expectations from hotels and restaurants, necessitating them to exhibit factors that distinguishes them from their competitors. The survey shows that the hospitality sector is facing lots of opportunities for responding a growing demand of hassle-free and surprising consumer experiences, keeping intact the sense of a truly genuine hospitality”.