Sex, bed bugs and bacon rolls.

The impact of online media coverage on the reputation of budget hotels.

Reputation matters.

The UK hotel industry is worth £20bn annually and the budget hotel sector is set to treble in size by 2027 (Travel Weekly)
Outside London, room capacity is being added but there is a shift towards budget hotels to sustain occupancy levels
It’s not price alone that fills beds –the reputation of budget hotel chains will influence market share
Customer booking behaviour will be influenced by content that highlights deals and value for money, but also by negative factors such as poor safety or hygiene standards
For hotel chains, it’s important to know what messages audiences are actually receiving and how they react to issues that can improve or damage reputation – overleaf are just a few examples of such coverage from August 2019

Tribe used its PRSV methodology to evaluate online media coverage for two of the UK’s market leaders in budget hotels – Premier Inn and Travelodge
Analysis of content from January 2018 to May 2019 reveals what the online news audience will have seen, read and reacted to when it comes to deciding where to stay
The findings reveal that, while budget hotels rely on messages about new hotel openings and great deals, there are some undercurrents which may adversely influence purchase decisions, erode brand love and open the door to challenger brands in the sector
Our insights go beyond traditional media evaluation to shape implementation and planning, increase the effectiveness of PR and help identify the undercurrents of negativity that can quickly lead to a crisis ©Tribe