Travel & Hospitality
Most Trusted Brands Report 2021: Travel & Hospitality
Report summary
For more recent data and analysis, see the Most Trusted Brands Report 2022: Travel & Hospitality.
Few industries were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as much as travel and hospitality. Now the industry is preparing for a summer travel season like no other, with millions of Americans itching to escape their homes to travel and relax — and with safety at top of mind for many. To better understand consumer trust in travel and hospitality, Morning Consult surveyed 4,400 U.S. adults to gauge their overall trust in this industry and to learn how trust is built—and how it’s broken.
Key Takeaways
- Eight of the top 10 most trusted travel and hospitality brands are hotels or resorts, with only one airline on the list: Southwest Airlines. Thirteen of the 20 top most trusted travel and hospitality brands are hotels.
- For consumer trust, the coronavirus pandemic was a net positive for the travel industry: Brands overall are exiting the pandemic with higher consumer net trust than when they entered it.
- But it’s clear that the pandemic has made health and cleanliness even more important for maintaining trust with customers. “Regularly sanitizing and cleaning” was among survey’s top 10 drivers of trust.
- 65% of U.S. adults say they would stop purchasing from a brand if it did not follow safety precautions. Another 62% say the same if the company failed to regularly clean.
- Business travel is coming back with 58% of business travelers saying they are traveling this summer for work. That figure should encourage those in the travel industry but also keep them on their toes: Business travelers demand more out of the brands they patronize, and their trust is broken more easily.
Methodology
This report contains data from Morning Consult Brand Intelligence as well as Morning Consult Research Intelligence.
To determine this year’s rankings, Morning Consult analyzed at least 5,900 survey interviews with adults 18+ per brand from the company’s flagship brand tracking platform, Morning Consult BrandIntelligence.
The rankings are based off data from the United States only and were determined based on Net Trust. Responses were gathered July 28–August 27, 2021.
To assess the consumer trust landscape, Morning Consult Research Intelligence conducted survey research with more 4,400 U.S. consumers. The survey was conducted August 20-29, 2021, with a margin of error of +/-one percentage point.
About the author
Joanna Piacenza leads Industry Analysis at Morning Consult. Prior to joining Morning Consult, she was an editor at the Public Religion Research Institute, conducting research at the intersection of religion, culture and public policy. Joanna graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and holds a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
