Bangkok--19 Aug--SPARK COMMUNICATIONS
TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, has today announced a new study on review rating trends, which shows that the average review rating for Thai accommodations on TripAdvisor has reached its highest point in 10 years. According to the data study, Thailand has maintained an average review rating above that of the global average for the past 10 years, excluding 2013 where it dropped below by just 0.01. In 2014, the average review rating for accommodations in Thailand increased to 4.16 to both exceed the global average of 4.12 and create a 10 year record high.
Average Thai Accommodation Review Ratings by Year (2005-2014) on TripAdvisor
tr>/tr>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="11%">/td>?td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2005/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2006/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2007/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2008/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2009/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2010/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2011/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2012/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2013/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2014/td>tr>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="11%">Thailand/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.09/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.99/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.01/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.04/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.02/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.12/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.14/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.12/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.10/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.16/td>/tr>tr>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="11%">World/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.78/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.78/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.82/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.86/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.99/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.02/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.07/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.09/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.11/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.12/td>/tr>
travellers across nine major Thai cities revealed properties in Koh Samui, Phuket, Bangkok and Hua Hin have consistently had the highest average review ratings historically (see Graph 1 in Appendix). In 2014, accommodations in Koh Samui earned the highest average review rating of 4.26, out of a possible five, followed closed by properties in Phuket achieving an average accommodation review rating of 4.23.
Thailand’s performance is notable as consistently strong results above the global average have been achieved against a backdrop of rapidly increasing tourist arrivals. In 2005, the first year of the TripAdvisor study, Thailand welcomed 11.5 million visitors, while 2014 saw almost 25 million people visit Thailand.
“We are delighted to see such positive results as they emphasise Thailand’s hotelier’s commitment to adapting and improving their service for an incredibly diverse audience of inbound travelers’. At the Tourism Authority of Thailand we have worked very hard to support large and small around the country and guide them on how they can best meet the demands of tourists from different markets. These results demonstrate that the Thailand hospitality industry’s approach to service is resonating with visitors, ensuring they have accommodation as outstanding as our many attractions, whichever part of the country you visit,” said Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Americas).
Average Accommodation Review Rating by Thai City (2014)
Ranked from the highest TripAdvisor review ratings to thelowest
?Rank Cities TripAdvisor Review Rating (2014)
1 Ko Samui 4.26
2 Phuket 4.23
3 Bangkok 4.22
4 Hua Hin 4.22
5 Chiang Mai 4.14
6 Pattaya 4.03
7 Ko Lipe 3.99
8 Krabi Town 3.97
9 Ko Samet 3.72
Bed & Breakfasts take the lead with travellers
The study showed that the average review rating of bed & breakfasts (B&Bs) globally has consistentlyrisen in strength in the past 10 years, indicating travellers are more satisfied overall with their B&B experience.
Accommodation Type Average Review Rating by Year (2005-2014)tr>/tr>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="11%">/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">/td>2005td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2006/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2007/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2008/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2009/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2010/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2011/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2012/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2013/td>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">2014/td>tr>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="30" valign="bottom" width="11%">B&B/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.29/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.27/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.33/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.38/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.44/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.43/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.43/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.41/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.40/td>td height="30" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.37/td>/tr>tr>td bgcolor="#c2d69b" height="20" valign="bottom" width="11%">Hotel/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.66/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.64/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.68/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.72/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.88/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.91/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.96/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">3.98/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.02/td>td height="20" valign="bottom" width="9%">4.03/td>/tr>
Closer analysis of the B&B and hotel global findings over the last five years (from the start of 2010 to the end of 2014), found that B&Bs achieved an average review rating of 4.40 compared to the average review rating of 4.03 achieved by hotels. In contrast, hotels in Thailand received a slightly higher average review rating than B&Bs during the same five year period, with 4.13 and 4.06 respectively. The very narrow gap between hotels and B&Bs illustrating the overall guest satisfaction with both property options in Thailand.
The study also revealed some interesting insights into the preferences of different types of travellers. For example, business travellers are the most discerning, awarding the lowest average review rating to both B&Bs and hotels compared to other types of global travellers. Couples are the most satisfied, giving hotels and B&Bs the highest average review rating amongst all types of travellers (see Table 1 in Appendix).
Further analysis into review by room count over the last five years (from the start of 2010 to the end of 2014) revealed properties with 25 rooms or less received the highest average review ratings by global travellers (4.36 out of 5). However, properties with 251 rooms or more were also highly rated by travellers (4.05 out of 5), suggesting that travellers are equally drawn to the wide array of amenities offered by large properties and resorts, as well as the intimate experience offered by smaller properties.
Global Accommodation Review Rating by Accommodation Room Count (2010-2014)
?Accommodation Room Count TripAdvisor Review Rating
4.36
26-50 Rooms 4.00
51-100 Rooms 3.95
101-150 Rooms 3.96
151-250 Rooms 3.99
251+ Rooms 4.05
Higher review ratings lead to more booking enquires from TripAdvisor travellers
The TripAdvisor study also analysed data such as click throughs to Business Listings links across a sample of accommodation pages. The findings revealed a correlation between review ratings and booking enquiries from travellers researching places to stay on TripAdvisor. According to the study, the higher the accommodation review rating, the higher the number of clicks to the property’s website from its Business Listings on the TripAdvisor hotel page.
TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers who increased their review rating to at least a 4 (out of 5) saw an average increase of 30% in users clicking through to their property’s telephone number, website and special offers from their Business Listings links on TripAdvisor.
? “It’s great to see an upswing in the average ratings of reviews for Thai properties. Business?owners are clearly making online reviews a priority for their business – providing great service, encouraging traveller feedback and continuing to engage with travellers once they have posted a review.?
By placing exceptional service and traveller engagement at the heart of their operations, we expect this upward trend in review ratings to continue for Thai accommodations of all sizes,” said Marc Charron, President, TripAdvisor for Business.