Travel behavior 2025: What hoteliers need to know about the future of travel
In 2024, travel behavior is constantly changing. The global pandemic has permanently changed the world of travel, and rapid advances in technology and data analytics offer new opportunities to understand and respond to guest behavior. A look at the data and trends from booking platforms such as Booking.com shows how travel behavior will develop in 2025 and what travel preferences and habits have emerged in recent years. Hoteliers and hosts can learn from these findings in order to optimally prepare for the future.
Flexibility is the trump card: the desire for free cancelations
One of the most important findings from the data from booking platforms is the high value placed on flexibility. In the context of travel behavior in 2025, guests want more than ever to be able to change or cancel their trips at short notice. Free cancellation options and flexible booking conditions are therefore often decisive factors when choosing accommodation.
Many guests are opting for accommodation that allows them to cancel without financial loss. This new flexibility means that hosts and hotels will have to adapt their cancellation policies to remain attractive. Although this may seem like a risk at first glance, such flexible options can boost guest confidence and lead to more bookings in the long term.
Staying longer: Workation trend continues
The 2024 booking data continues to show a trend that is gaining momentum in travel behavior in 2025: longer stays. With the increased prevalence of remote working, more and more people are combining work and leisure – a concept known as ‘workation’. Many travelers are looking for accommodations that are suitable for both relaxing and working.
Booking.com and similar platforms are seeing increasing demand for apartments, vacation homes and hotels that offer long-term stays at discounted rates. Amenities such as high-speed internet, desks or even small “home office” areas are becoming increasingly important. Hoteliers should therefore respond to these wishes and put together special “workation packages” in order to offer this growing target group an optimal experience.
Local experiences are in demand: authenticity counts
Another trend that booking platforms such as Booking.com are uncovering in travel behavior in 2025 is guests’ desire for authentic, local experiences. Travelers no longer just want to visit the classic tourist attractions, but want to immerse themselves in the culture and life at their destination. Tips on hidden places, local restaurants and cultural highlights off the beaten track are in demand.
The option of booking experiences or activities directly via the booking platform is becoming increasingly popular. Hosts can take advantage of this by integrating local experiences or cooperations with local service providers into their offer. By providing your guests with valuable insider tips and giving them an authentic insight into the region, you create a unique experience that will be remembered.
Sustainability is not a trend, but a must
The platform data also shows that sustainability is becoming increasingly important for travelers. Guests are increasingly paying attention to how environmentally friendly an accommodation is and what sustainability measures are being taken. Hotels that value regional products and support local farmers, environmentally friendly energy supply, recycling and waste avoidance score points with guests and can set themselves apart from the competition.
Booking platforms such as Booking.com have responded to this and make it possible to highlight sustainable accommodation with corresponding filters and awards. This gives hosts who focus on environmentally friendly practices the opportunity to show that they care about protecting the environment. This trend clearly shows that sustainability is no longer just a “nice-to-have”, but a decisive factor in travel behavior in 2025.
Insight into guests' thoughts through guest reviews and data analysis
An exciting aspect of travel behavior trends is the increasing role of data and reviews when choosing accommodation. Guests leave reviews in which they share their experiences in detail, and in turn read the reviews of other travelers to get an idea of the accommodation.
Booking platforms analyse these reviews and booking history to generate personalized suggestions. For hosts, this means that they should pay attention to their guests’ reviews and respond to feedback in order to improve their service and provide an optimal experience for future guests. By analysing guest reviews, the High 5 software not only provides deep insights into guest satisfaction, but also suggests personalized targeted optimizations.
The High5 software is just one example of this: in view of these developments, it is expected that travel behavior in 2025 will be increasingly shaped by data-based decisions, which will bring new opportunities but also challenges for hosts.
Mobile bookings are on the rise
Booking with a smartphone in hand has long since become the norm. Data from booking platforms shows that more and more travelers are searching for and booking their accommodation on the move. Speed and user-friendliness are the top priorities. Guests today expect to book within a few minutes and receive all relevant information about the accommodation, check-in options and guest reviews at a glance.
These developments already point to travel behavior in 2025, in which mobile booking will become even more important. Make sure that your accommodation is optimally displayed for mobile devices on booking platforms as well as on your own website. Also use mobile communication tools to stay in touch with guests during their stay and offer them a smooth experience.
To summarize: Today's guests are flexible, digital and in search of authentic experiences - trends that will shape travel behavior in 2025.
Travel behavior has evolved and become more diverse in 2024. Travelers are looking for flexibility, value sustainability and are in search of authentic experiences. At the same time, they rely on digital tools to plan their trips and book their accommodation. Booking platforms such as Booking.com give hosts valuable insights into these trends and offer them the opportunity to respond to the changing needs of their guests.
In view of these developments, travel behaviour in 2025 will be even more strongly influenced by the desire for flexibility and authenticity. Those who adapt to the new preferences and expectations of travelers will continue to be successful and delight guests in the future.
One crucial aspect of this is and will become increasingly relevant in the future: data-driven guest care. This enables hotels to develop personalized offers and thus meet the needs of their guests. In our article Digitalization for hotels: How modern technology is revolutionizing guest services you can find out how technological innovations are revolutionizing the industry and helping hosts to stay one step ahead of the competition. These developments are directly linked to the travel behaviour of 2025, which increasingly relies on personalized experiences and data-driven decisions.
