Leisure trips continued to outpace 2011 in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to data released today by Pegasus Solutions in The Pegasus View. December closed 2012 on a positive note overall for both business and leisure travel, with future hotel stays suggesting additional growth potential for both channels.
Globally, leisure travel demand remained strong despite temporary regional setbacks. Over the fourth quarter of 2012, net bookings continued to grow by an average margin of +6% over 2011 as rates remained steady. In North America, December bookings rose +6.3% over prior year as rates grew nearly +4%. This positive leisure performance further highlights the need for hotels to cater to the leisure booker, reported David Millili, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solutions.
“Driving traffic to a hotel’s website is the best way to increase valuable direct bookings,” said Millili. “Hotels can’t hope consumers will find them. Implementing an internet marketing strategy that encompasses the latest advances in keyword, phrase and content analysis, social media, and email campaigns will keep a hotel top of mind the next time a consumer is ready to book.”
December’s corporate bookings rose to match 2011’s substantial volume, a feat only achieved three other months in 2012. North America also showed positive upswings for bookings, average daily rate (ADR) and revenue as net reservations inched past prior year by +0.2%. Global rates increased by +1.8% over 2011 as North America grew +2.2%, returning to the growth pace experienced in summer. Fourth quarter 2012 results and future first quarter 2013 stays suggest a new year rife with opportunities for attentive hotels.
Data reported by Pegasus Solutions comes from billions of transactions processed monthly for nearly 100,000 hotels, facilitating more than $16 billion a year. The Pegasus View, produced quarterly, is the only industry report to reflect data drawn from both GDS and ADS transactions, representing the business and leisure markets respectively. Pegasus’ recently introduced PegasusView Market Performance business intelligence is a monthly reporting product augmenting the global data provided quarterly in The Pegasus View.
About Pegasus Solutions
Pegasus Solutions is the single largest processor of electronic hotel transactions, delivering advanced and affordable connectivity and distribution solutions to nearly 100,000 hotels worldwide. Pegasus connects hotels to crucial sources of business, facilitating almost $16 billion for its clients annually. In addition to foundational global distribution system (GDS) access and online connectivity, Pegasus delivers online, social marketing and booking solutions through its Open Hospitality division, industry-preferred global commission processing, and powerful reservation tools to convert and capture bookings. As a trusted partner in generating guest room demand and sales, Pegasus also offers hotels actionable business intelligence through its Pegasus View Market Performance reports to help hotels understand and respond to changing market conditions.
Pegasus has 18 offices in 10 countries, including regional hubs in Dallas, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, New York, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Scottsdale. For more information, visit www.pegs.com or www.openhospitality.com.
