How well do you know your holiday resort before arriving?
Posted by Sue Anderson, 14th Jan 2014
If you book a holiday without doing a little bit of research into the resort or hotel that you'll be staying at, you risk being disappointed when you arrive. Yet, according to a recent poll of ours, many people carry out this kind of 'blind booking'.
We polled 2,128 people aged 18 and over from around the UK and all of these people had been abroad on holiday in the last 12 months. This survey was in a bid to find out how much research holidaymakers carry out before committing to a booking and travelling somewhere.
We asked everybody that took part in our poll 'When you last travelled abroad, did you book the holiday destination without knowing anything about where you'd be going?' The results revealed that 13% said 'no - I was revisiting somewhere I had already been, so knew what to expect'. That's always a safe bet! 39% claimed that they had done at least some research into the destination they last visited before committing to their booking. However, almost half of the holidaymakers we spoke to (the remaining 48%) admitted that they did indeed book without doing any research whatsoever.
We spoke to those who admitted to effectively 'blind booking' their last holiday destination in a little more detail. When we asked, 'Did you do any research after booking your holiday to know what to expect when you arrived?' 41% said they had done so after their booking. At least they wouldn't have any nasty surprises then! Although, 68% of these people then found themselves to be 'anxious' about what they'd found and had some concerns about how their holiday would turn out.
When asked why they had 'blind booked' in the first place, 62% of those that did said that they didn't want to 'overcomplicate' their decision by finding out too much. 25% simply claimed that they 'liked the look of the hotel/ accommodation pictures' and that had been enough for them to book.
However, 78% of those who admitted to 'blind booking' their last holiday destination claimed that their holiday had been 'very good', so their lack of research beforehand had not compromised how much they'd enjoyed their trip. It sounds to us like they had a stroke of luck!
19% of those who admitted to 'blind booking' their last holiday destination admitted that they had been 'disappointed' by their holiday, so their lack of research beforehand had compromised how much they'd enjoyed their trip. That's always the risk you take by not doing your homework!
If you're returning to a hotel or destination that you know and love, chances are, you won't have any problems. However, if you book somewhere without checking a few things first, such as if the resort is family friendly or if there are plenty of activities to keep you entertained, you might be disappointed on arrival. Different resorts can be more popular with different groups of people. Whilst one place might be a favourite for party animals and 18-30s, another might not have any night clubs or bars at all, so it pays to check places out before committing to your booking!
We polled 2,128 people aged 18 and over from around the UK and all of these people had been abroad on holiday in the last 12 months. This survey was in a bid to find out how much research holidaymakers carry out before committing to a booking and travelling somewhere.
Half of holidaymakers admit to 'blind booking'
We asked everybody that took part in our poll 'When you last travelled abroad, did you book the holiday destination without knowing anything about where you'd be going?' The results revealed that 13% said 'no - I was revisiting somewhere I had already been, so knew what to expect'. That's always a safe bet! 39% claimed that they had done at least some research into the destination they last visited before committing to their booking. However, almost half of the holidaymakers we spoke to (the remaining 48%) admitted that they did indeed book without doing any research whatsoever.
We spoke to those who admitted to effectively 'blind booking' their last holiday destination in a little more detail. When we asked, 'Did you do any research after booking your holiday to know what to expect when you arrived?' 41% said they had done so after their booking. At least they wouldn't have any nasty surprises then! Although, 68% of these people then found themselves to be 'anxious' about what they'd found and had some concerns about how their holiday would turn out.
Majority claim destination research can 'overcomplicate' things
When asked why they had 'blind booked' in the first place, 62% of those that did said that they didn't want to 'overcomplicate' their decision by finding out too much. 25% simply claimed that they 'liked the look of the hotel/ accommodation pictures' and that had been enough for them to book.
However, 78% of those who admitted to 'blind booking' their last holiday destination claimed that their holiday had been 'very good', so their lack of research beforehand had not compromised how much they'd enjoyed their trip. It sounds to us like they had a stroke of luck!
19% of those who admitted to 'blind booking' their last holiday destination admitted that they had been 'disappointed' by their holiday, so their lack of research beforehand had compromised how much they'd enjoyed their trip. That's always the risk you take by not doing your homework!
If you're returning to a hotel or destination that you know and love, chances are, you won't have any problems. However, if you book somewhere without checking a few things first, such as if the resort is family friendly or if there are plenty of activities to keep you entertained, you might be disappointed on arrival. Different resorts can be more popular with different groups of people. Whilst one place might be a favourite for party animals and 18-30s, another might not have any night clubs or bars at all, so it pays to check places out before committing to your booking!
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