Gulf Travelers Go Digital to Enhance Their Hotel Experience

89% of GCC travelers use hotel mobile apps, according to new survey from Avaya

Travelers in the GCC are embracing digital solutions to enhance their hotel experience. According to a new survey from Avaya, 89% use hotel mobile apps to perform tasks such as tracking bill changes and communicating with staff via chat. More than a quarter also book their rooms through a hotel app, while respondents said having an easy-to-use app ranked only behind a smooth and fast check-in as the most important factor in evaluating their stay.

The Customer Experience in Hospitality Survey, conducted with YouGov, queried more than 1,200 individuals across the GCC to better understand consumer expectations in the digital age.  Travelers would prefer to book their room online, with 39% choosing to use an online travel agent, followed by 37% using the hotel’s website, and 27% the hotel’s mobile app. One in five respondents (20%) still call the hotel’s contact center, with the same percentage e-mailing the hotel directly, emphasizing the importance of supporting multi-channel communications.

When selecting the top factors in evaluating their stay, 31% cited a smooth and fast check-in, with 15% citing an easy-to-use app – ahead of access to facilities, such as gym, pool, restaurants and children’s areas.

The GCC’s tourism industry is expected to play a vital role in helping the oil-dependent states diversify their economies.  Regional strategists advise the industry to focus more on the high expectations of today’s digital consumers or risk being beaten out by competition. GCC states provide the top source markets for tourism from the Middle East region¹, making their citizens attractive as consumers both regionally and on a global scale.

Getting the customer experience right is vital, with 44% of respondents saying they wouldn’t give a hotel a second chance in the event of bad service, and 34% saying they would write a negative review on a site such as TripAdvisor. More than a third, 37%, would complain to the hotel directly, with the same number saying they would tell friends and family about any issues.

While mobile apps are overwhelmingly use by GCC travelers, the in-room phone is still central to the hotel experience – 63% of respondents said the in-room phone was important to them, with only 3% saying they don’t use it. More than half (53%) of respondents cited limited functionality and confusing layout as key factors that limit their use of in-room phones.

While the majority, 57%, said the in-room phone was most useful for contacting the front desk and other hotel services, 42% said they would want to be able to control in-room amenities such as entertainment, lighting and temperature from the phone. More than a third (36%) of respondents would like to be able to use it to engage hotel staff via chat and messaging apps.

¹https://www.tourobs.ch/media/12508/gcc-source-market-report-ovt-2014.pdf

“In today’s highly competitive GCC travel market, hotels need to be able to meet their guests’ expectations, regardless of the method they use to contact them. Travelers also want a range of options available to them when it comes to accessing services during their stay. Delivering a superior customer experience really comes down to how simple it is to access services and information—whether in the booking process or during your stay,” says Frederick Sabty, Vice President of Hospitality Solutions at Avaya. “As we increasingly adopt technology in our daily lives, hotels are being pressured to meet that expectation through smarter, connected devices and services that bridge the gap between the digital and physical guest experience.”

To learn more about how Avaya is working with the hospitality sector to take guests beyond the digital experience, check out this resource guide.

About Avaya
Avaya enables the mission critical, real-time communication applications of the world’s most important operations. As the global leader in delivering superior communications experiences, Avaya provides the most complete portfolio of software and services for contact center and unified communications — offered on premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid. Today’s digital world requires communications enablement, and no other company is better positioned to do this than Avaya. For more information, please visit www.avaya.com.

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or other similar terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Avaya's filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov. Avaya disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.