ASIAROOMS.COM’S survey on online accommodation bookings has found that travellers prefer to pay for their rooms upon checkout rather than at the point of booking.
The AsiaRooms.com Traveller Confidence Index 2013 revealed that 29 per cent of all respondents would prefer paying upon checkout. In comparison, 24 per cent would pay a basic room rate in advance and 23 per cent would fork out an advance deposit.
When it came to preferred payment methods, credit and charge cards took tops with 70 per cent, followed by debit cards with 37 per cent.
Clarence Lin, brand development lead, AsiaRooms.com, commented: “Customers appreciate the convenience of a simple accommodation booking experience that comes with a guaranteed stay and future payment options.”
The same survey stated that Asian travellers were mostly likely to book their business and leisure trips online. Some 75.2 per cent of respondents from Asia said they had purchased travel online within the last year, up 4.9 per cent from last year’s index and above the global average of 65.4 per cent.
Singaporeans took the crown when it came to booking trips online, with 84.3 per cent of respondents from the Lion City having made an online booking in the last 12 months.
Travellers are also less price-sensitive compared to the year before. The number of Asian travellers who cited affordability as a reason for lower accommodation usage in the coming year fell 17.5 per cent from last year.
Singaporeans once again led in accommodation spend per night at US$132, besting the global (US$115) and regional average (US$122). The survey noted that Singapore travellers spent more nights overseas and more per night on accommodation.
Commissioned by AsiaRooms.com in partnership with VisionOne UK, responses were collated from more than 12,000 online participants in over 25 major international markets across Asia-Pacific, America and Europe.
