Decisions Beyond Price Parity: The Role of Price Perception, Sales Promotion, and Ease of Use in Hotel Direct Booking Decision

Desiana Megawati Pujiningrum; Christina Whidya Utami

doi:10.37034/jems.v8i4.566

Authors

Desiana Megawati Pujiningrum Universitas Ciputra
Christina Whidya Utami Universitas Ciputra

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37034/jems.v8i4.566

Keywords:

Direct Booking, Price Perception, Sales Promotion, Perceived Ease of Use, Reservation Decision

Abstract

The rapid development of digital hotel distribution has intensified competition between hotel direct booking channels and online travel agencies (OTAs). This study examines the effects of price perception, sales promotion, and ease of use on consumers’ direct booking decisions through hotel-owned channels. A quantitative, cross-sectional explanatory design was employed using data from 200 respondents who had made a hotel reservation through a direct booking channel within the previous 12 months. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results show that price perception, sales promotion, and ease of use each have a positive and significant effect on direct booking decisions. Ease of use emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.368), followed by price perception (β = 0.333) and sales promotion (β = 0.261), with all significance levels at p < .001. The regression model was statistically significant and explained 70.7% of the variance in direct booking decisions (Adjusted R² = 0.707). These findings indicate that consumers evaluate direct booking based on both economic value and transactional convenience. Therefore, hotels should combine competitive pricing and targeted promotions with a seamless and user-friendly booking experience to strengthen direct booking performance and reduce reliance on OTAs.

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