2025 Guest Engagement Study
By Jungsun Kim, Ph.D., Professor, William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Daniel J. Connolly, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Business, St. John Fisher University; and Robert Firpo-Cappiello, Editor-in-Chief, Hospitality Technology, MURTEC & Hotel Technology Forum
CUSTOMER
Social media
57
%
How Do Guests Discover Restaurant & Hotel Brands?
What do restaurant and hotel customers really want — and what are they willing to pay more for? Drawing on a recent survey of 1,000+ guests, this study is an operator’s shortcut to understanding what matters most to today’s guests.
Word of mouth
49
%
Online ads
43
%
Yelp/
online reviews
32
%
Deals &
promotions
27
%
PLATINUM SPONSORS
SILVER
SPONSOR
ACADEMIC
PARTNERS
Our survey gauges guest sentiment and preferences around technology. For the first time in nearly 15 years of HT surveying restaurant and hotel customers, word-of-mouth is no longer the top discovery channel — social media has taken the lead at 57%. This shift signals a profound change: While trusted voices still matter, guests are now more likely to find their next restaurant or hotel through digital channels.
Download the full study to explore what this digital-first trend means for restaurant and hotel operators.
DOWNLOAD DATA
THE
WIN
HOW TO
2025 Guest Engagement Study
HOW TO WIN THE CUSTOMER
DOWNLOAD STUDY
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2025 Guest Engagement Study
By Jungsun Kim, Ph.D., Professor, William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Daniel J. Connolly, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Business, St. John Fisher University; and Robert Firpo-Cappiello, Editor-in-Chief, Hospitality Technology, MURTEC & Hotel Technology Forum
CUSTOMER
Social media
57
%
How Do Guests Discover Restaurant & Hotel Brands?
What do restaurant and hotel customers really want — and what are they willing to pay more for? Drawing on a recent survey of 1,000+ guests, this study is an operator’s shortcut to understanding what matters most to today’s guests.
Word of mouth
49
%
Online ads
43
%
Yelp/
online reviews
32
%
Deals &
promotions
27
%
PLATINUM SPONSORS
SILVER
SPONSOR
ACADEMIC
PARTNERS
Our survey gauges guest sentiment and preferences around technology. For the first time in nearly 15 years of HT surveying restaurant and hotel customers, word-of-mouth is no longer the top discovery channel — social media has taken the lead at 57%. This shift signals a profound change: While trusted voices still matter, guests are now more likely to find their next restaurant or hotel through digital channels.
Download the full study to explore what this digital-first trend means for restaurant and hotel operators.
DOWNLOAD DATA
THE
WIN
HOW TO