Hotel Finder by name - should it take you directly to a hotel page if it matches the search, or to the search results page?

Here's the dilemma. To help users quickly find a hotel (the same could be true for a shop finder, pub finder etc) there is a search field on the homepage where they can type the search query. This could be postcode, hotel name, street name etc.

Once the search is submitted should the user be taken directly to the matching hotel page if one is found, or taken to the search results screen with the most likely result displayed as the first result so the user can see the other possibilities?

The problem with taking them direct to the specific hotel page is that they may have mistyped the address, or there may be multiple ones matching the result. Is it better for the user to see the list of posibilites so they can choose the one they actually want, or should they be presented with the actual hotel page so there is no need to view the full list?

I'm thinking that if there is a single clear result found then that page should be displayed, at other times the list of results should be shown. However, is this not an inconsistent method? - What if the user wants to see which hotels there are in and around Brighton, so they type in 'Brighton' and are not given a list of results but are taken to a specific page instead?

Answer

Taking the user straight to the 'single result' page could be detrimental in several ways in my opinion - not least of all it feels like the search isn't very powerful or adaptable.

What are the chances that the user only wants to see one result. Its Hobson's choice - but people like to feel that they have a choice.

If there is one result, then it's a perfect opportunity to also give the user other options by increasing the scope, such as suggesting that they widen the search to include a larger area, and giving them a direct link to do so. Or even something along the lines of 'we found one result within your search parameters, but we found another 5 results nearby'.It feels smarter and more friendly and you keep the consistency. It's much more desirable than the surprise effect of going directly to the page which bypasses a communication/confirmation step and takes control away from the user.