By Lenka Trckova
Boasting a large variety of climatic regions and geographic features, including mountains and deserts, the US offers travelers extensive options for finding their ideal winter getaway. In this article, we will uncover who the visitors to the US are this season*, what are the most popular destinations for domestic and international visitors, and what are the prices travelers are searching for.
Insights into user search behavior and preferences go hand in hand with following ascertained best practices for hoteliers when marketing their hotel online.
Where do visitors to the US come from?
From frosty sleigh rides and cross-country skiing in Colorado Mountains, to laid-back, sun-drenched spots on Maui, the winter season tempts many travelers to escape from a hibernation.
In the US, the predominance of domestic traffic is significant. According to the data, 67% of all searches have been made by American residents traveling domestically. Compared to the Fall 2017 Trends Report, we see a shuffle in the ranking of the top ten visiting countries. Visitors from Canada make up the biggest group of inbound visitors this winter, with 17% of all searches, closely followed by travelers from Brazil, the UK, Argentina, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Italy and France.
These ten countries account for more than three-quarters of all international searches, to destinations in the US.
What destinations are travelers searching for this winter?
Across all markets combined, big cities dominate the list of the most sought-after destinations this winter. While New York City crowns the list for international visitors, vibrant Las Vegas overtook the Big Apple for searches by US residents. Orlando follows in the third place in both rankings.
With Florida, California and Nevada on the top three searched states, we see that US travelers prefer destinations which boast warmer weather.
What does the data say about traveler behavior?
Applying data to your hotel marketing strategy is a key ingredient and an important step towards maximizing hotel revenue. We’ve analyzed search behavior data for travelers on our 55 trivago platforms to release the average prices domestic travelers click on when looking for their ideal hotel.
This winter, the average searched price-per-night for destinations in the US reaches the level of $145. However, we can see some significant price swings across the various locations. For one night in Las Vegas, US residents are willing to pay on average $108, whereas in New York City the average clicked price is approximately 107% higher. Miami Beach tops the chart with an average clicked price per night at $256. With the highest average total basket value of $920, the island city in Florida is the most expensive destination for a winter getaway for US residents.
The data also reveals that domestic travelers look for stays on average of three days. While they seek the longest escapes of four days in Orlando, travelers heading to San Francisco and Chicago pack their bags just for two days on average.
Predictably, inbound visitors are taking longer trips, on average of five days. Travelers from Brazil and Argentina are searching for the longest stays this winter, as they are planning to stay seven nights on average. When it comes to the spending behavior across the international board of travelers, visitors taking long-haul flights from Australia and Japan are willing to spend on average $287 and $274 per night, respectively. On the other hand, travelers from Brazil opt for cheaper rooms with the average clicked price of $163.
*data gathered from all trivago.com searches in the US between 1 December 2016 – 15 January 2018, for the period of 1 December 2017 – 28 February 2018. All prices shown are the average clicked prices selected by trivago users for a standard double room.
http://hotelmanager-blog.trivago.com/what-winter-trends-do-hoteliers-in-the-us-need-to-know/
