An exploratory study about online hotel booking behavior through online travel agencies - A case of the millennials in Ho Chi Minh city
Abstract
Nowadays, despite the vast development of Internet along with tourism, not
many Vietnamese people used online travel agencies to book for hotel rooms. In this
growing market of e-commerce, the Millennials are believed to become the dominant
segment. This research tended to explore the behavior of the travelers in Ho Chi Minh
City when making reservation via online travel agencies, to figure out the Millennials‟
needs and behaviors, as well as potential sub-segments of this generation.
Having qualitative research as the core approach, focus groups and in-depth
interviews are employed to collect data from the online bookers who are in 18 to 35 years
of age and have booked for hotel rooms via online travel agencies. The recruitment has
been taken place from March 5, 2015 to April 10, 2015 using convenience sampling and
snowball sampling. There were two focus groups and 13 in-depth interviews conducted
from April 16 to April 30, summing up to 20 respondents.
The result of the data analysis showed that when making room reservations
online, the millennial respondents not only seek for competitive price but also concern
about information provided and room assurance. Next, regarding the behavior, the
Millennials are price-sensitive, somewhat independent, fast but cautious in making
decisions, and flexible in choices. This research also came up with the three big subsegments which have different demands and behaviors. Further research about the hotel
booking habits of the Millennials in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is recommended
due to some evident differences in behavior.