Indirect versus direct bookings : hotel customer motivations for online reservations at travel agencies in the Cape metropole

Abstract

Hotels have a variety of internet distribution channels to help them sell rooms, including sites that have come to be called online travel agents. The objective of this study is to investigate why hotel customers use online travel agencies for online reservations rather than booking directly with hotels. The researcher scheduled meetings for personal (faceto- face) distribution of the questionnaires and was on hand to answer any participant questions with hotel guests to collect the primary data for the study. The questionnaire surveys were conducted in different hotels in the Cape Metropole. The population of interest in this study included hotel guests from different hotels in the Cape Metropole who are frequents travellers using online travel agencies or hotels to make their hotel bookings. The study’s original sample was limited to management, staff, and guests, including 300 hotel guests from three 5-star hotels in The Cape Town Metropol. This sampling frame was dependable and useful for the researcher for arranging for the distribution of the questionnaires, and obtaining the information required for the study. The most important findings of the study were that pricing of reservation services was very important, but the ‘physical and electronic’ convenience of making reservations was considered important.