Findings also point to lengthened hotel stays and bargain hunting
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY -- November 14, 2019 – Gigantic balloons, blackjack tables and a certain 91-year-old mouse are on the Thanksgiving menu for holiday travelers, according to new data from trivago N.V. (NASDAQ: TRVG), a leading global accommodation search platform. After mining its millions of U.S. searches around the Thanksgiving holiday, trivago found that consumers are searching for longer hotel stays while looking for more bargains this year.
The top three destinations include New York, home to one of the world’s most famous Thanksgiving Day parades; gambling and entertainment mecca Las Vegas; and Orlando, America’s theme park capital. Central Florida actually boasts three of the top 10 destinations. The complete list, ranked by number of searches, includes:
- New York
- Las Vegas
- Orlando
- Miami Beach
- Chicago
- Anaheim
- New Orleans
- Kissimmee
- San Francisco
- Lake Buena Vista
“We’re excited to see that travelers are looking to extend their stays this year, a sign that they are more confident about the economy and their future outlook,” said James Carter, Head of Hotel Search, trivago. “The fact that they are looking to travel to such entertainment capitals as New York, Las Vegas and Orlando is also encouraging and it will be interesting to see how the data shifts in time for the December holiday season.”
Travelers plan to spend more on accommodations this year during Thanksgiving than any time in the past five years, although they are looking to pay less per night, according to the data.
The average lodging booking amount surged to $620 this year, representing a 20% increase over 2018 and a significant jump of 49% over 2015. The increase is driven by the fact that for the first time in five years, the average traveler is planning to spend four nights at their destination. From 2015 through 2018, consumers booked an average of three nights at their Thanksgiving location.
However, while travelers are increasing their overall spend, they are also looking to pay less per night during their stay, indicating they are looking for bargains. In 2019, the average spend amount per night dropped to $139, representing a 26% decrease over 2018. Over the past five years, the per-night spend peaked at $172 in 2018.
In addition, consumers in 2019 have greatly increased how much time they book in advance, another sign that they are bargain hunting ahead of time. The average advance booking time surged to 76 days this year, more than double the amount in 2018.
About trivago
trivago is a leading global hotel search platform focused on reshaping the way travelers search for and compare hotels and alternative accommodations. Incorporated in 2005 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the platform allows travelers to make informed decisions by personalizing their hotel search and providing them access to a deep supply of hotel information and prices. trivago enables its advertisers to grow their businesses by providing access to a broad audience of travelers via its websites and apps. As of June 30, 2019, trivago has established 55 localized platforms connected to over 3.5million hotels and alternative accommodations, in over 190 countries.
For more information, trivago’s earnings releases and other financial information are available at ir.trivago.com or visit company.trivago.com/press for all corporate news.
Contacts:
Press Contact: Stephanie Lowenthal, stephanie.lowenthal@trivago.com
Investor Relations: ir@trivago.com
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