Interest in Sustainable Travel Grows, Says Timetric

04 Apr 2013 • by Natalie Aster

Regardless of buyer and supplier categorization, the global hotel industry respondents foresee an increase in RevPAR and occupancy rates, which reflects an increase in business opportunities over the next 12 months.

According to the report “Global Hotel Industry Survey 2013: Emerging Trends in Technology, Sustainability, Health and Wellness Tourism” by Timetric, 70% and 71% of respective buyer respondents are more optimistic about an increase in RevPAR and occupancy rates, as compared with 46% and 45% of respective supplier respondents. In addition, 43% and 42% of respective respondents from the Rest of the World and Asia-Pacific expect an ‘increase of 3–10%’ in RevPAR. Moreover, 27% and 24% of respective respondents from Europe and North America forecast an ‘increase of 3–5%’ in hotel occupancy rates. According to the report, for respondents from both buyer and supplier companies ‘cost savings and operational efficiency’, ‘service innovation’ and ‘increasing tourism’ are the key drivers of growth in the hotel industry. Additionally, an ‘increase in disposable income’ is the key driver for buyer respondents, whereas supplier respondents consider the ‘development of IT infrastructure’ the most important driver.

Report Details:

Global Hotel Industry Survey 2013: Emerging Trends in Technology, Sustainability, Health and Wellness Tourism
Published: February, 2013
Pages: 122
Price: US$ 2,000.00

Respondents consider ‘environmentally-friendly initiatives’ the foremost emerging trend in the global hotel industry, and growing interest in sustainable travel among tourists is considered a key driver for hotels to acquire green certifications. Consequently, hotels are increasing their commitment to reducing their environmental impact, promoting sustainable business practices and offering green products and services.

Overall, 62% of luxury hotel operators expect to increase their expenditure on technology over the next 12 months, of which 35% expect an ‘increase of 3–10%’. In addition, 38% of respondents from other hotels also anticipate an increase in technology expenditure over the next 12 months. Additionally, the survey reveals that ‘Wi-Fi technology’, ‘online reservations’, and ‘high-speed internet access’ are the leading technological facilities being provided to customers by luxury hotels. Correspondingly, ‘flat-screen televisions’, ‘Wi-Fi technology’, and ‘online reservation’ are the key technological facilities customers expect to see in luxury hotels.

Survey results show that respondents from luxury hotels expect to provide technological facilities such as ‘Wi-Fi access’, ‘eco-friendly technology’, and ‘efficient energy management systems’ to increase their operational efficiency and secure more business in 2013. Furthermore, according to senior-level respondents, the most important technologies for the hotel industry to undertake in order to improve operational efficiency are facilitating ‘Wi-Fi access’, implementing ‘efficient energy management systems’ and ‘handheld devices for communication’.

The ‘use of eco-friendly cleaning products’ is considered a key sustainable measure by both buyer and supplier respondents. Respondents from North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World assigned high importance to ‘locally sourced food’ and ‘improving the environmental footprint of existing products and services’. In addition, respondents from Asia-Pacific gave more importance to the ‘use of eco-friendly cleaning products’, the ‘use of low-flow water systems’, and the ‘increased use of renewable energy’.

Global hotel industry respondents identified ‘staff education on energy management’ and ‘energy-efficient light control systems’ as the key energy-efficient measures to be implemented over the next 12 months. For senior level respondents, the leading steps taken to market their green credentials include ‘educational marketing messages’, ‘including sustainability as a section in corporate website’ and ‘repositioning as a green organization’.

More information can be found in the report “Global Hotel Industry Survey 2013: Emerging Trends in Technology, Sustainability, Health and Wellness Tourism” by Timetric.

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