Inflation Unlikely To Stop Travelers

The 2022 Changing Traveler Report from SiteMinder reveals that the desire to travel is stronger than the growing inflation, and the already popular bleisure travel trend is driving new preferences that are destined to transform the hotel industry.

The research polled over 8,000 passengers from ten countries, revealing five significant factors impacting the next phase of global travel recovery:

The Macro-Travel Trend: The desire to travel outweighs growing inflation.

The Digital Impact Trend: Travelers are currently the most winnable consumers on the planet.

The Bleisure Trend: Today’s business travelers seek the hotel of the future.

The Trust Trend: For the modern trust-critical traveler, every digital touchpoint is important.

The Human Connection Trend: Travelers who use technology are unwilling to sacrifice human connection.

Globally, the majority of travelers do not expect growing inflation to deter them from traveling, with 87% stating they are happier when they are expecting a vacation and 85% saying they are comfortable spending more money on extras during their next visit. Breakfast (50%) and a view (34%), are the most sought extra cost add-ons.

In the “new normal” of travel, 80% of travelers feel it is critical to be able to readily amend or cancel their arrangements. When booking online through a property’s website, a simple and secure booking and payment method is a top priority for travelers.

“The long-awaited recovery of travel has emerged with a new type of traveler, who has higher expectations from hotels and their travel experiences than ever,” said Sankar Narayan, managing director/CEO, SiteMinder. “The accommodation sector has remained at the heart of travel during the last two years, with the rise of regional and domestic travel. Now, we are seeing pent-up demand pushing the next phase of global travel recovery forward, with supply-driven hurdles such as border restrictions and flight scarcity becoming less of a roadblock for travelers in high-traffic destinations across the world.”