Our latest hotel report, From Search Engine to Booking Engine, in collaboration with Google, garners a view of the hotel guest’s journey over the entire path to booking. However, not every guest and their pre-booking behaviors are alike. Here we highlight our findings on the luxury hotel guest and offer ways hoteliers can influence these guests on their path to booking:

1. On average, luxury hotel guests conduct more searches than more economical segments.

A luxury hotel booking is usually a more expensive purchase, and these travelers want to make sure they are making the best decision. Ensure you are staying top of mind during these extra searches by creating ads that reassure them that your luxury hotel will create the most enjoyable experience for them.

For example, Solage Calistoga does a great job showcasing their luxury property through their ads while reassuring guests that their vacation will be a getaway.

2. Luxury hotel guests start their hotel planning much further in advance than other segments.

60+ days out, luxury travelers perform more searches than other segments. Consider how your hotel segment impacts the path to purchase so you can increase your brand’s presence at moments when travelers are likely to be influenced. For example, if you know your luxury guest will begin searching 60+ days before arrival, start impressing them with ads while they are at the top of the funnel, and continue to nurture them throughout their entire path to book.

Loews Hotels “Room You Need” campaign did a great job of reaching travelers at each stage in the funnel by using certain Instagram photos taken by guests as the basis for its print and digital ads. It was a way of showcasing real-life images of authentic guest experiences at Loews, and that’s the perspective that a potential guest wants to see.

3. Luxury hotels see lower shares of mobile searches, averaging 45% of all searches, but mobile queries are growing rapidly with 23% YOY growth.

It may not be surprising that mobile searches are on the rise since smartphones have enabled us to have information at our fingertips no matter where we are. According to Skift, 40% of global travelers use mobile devices to shop for travel. To capture these luxury travelers early on in their planning and dreaming phases, implement a multi-platform strategy: prospect and retarget users with display, mobile, YouTube, Facebook, native ads, and more.