Hotels.com recently conducted a
hotel amenities survey, asking travelers to dish on their favorite
in-room and hotel perks. Guests said that free Wi-Fi is a must when
choosing a hotel room and that it overwhelmingly factored into the
decision on which hotel to book: 38% of travelers reported that free
Wi-Fi played a part in their decision as a "must" to stay at a specific
hotel, 35% said it is the amenity they want to see more in hotels, with
31% wishing it would become a standard in all hotels in 2012. Meanwhile,
23% of guests said their favorite modern in-room amenity was the use of
iPads for guest services, local information and personal use. That
ranked above air purifiers/humidifiers, high-end coffee makers, iPod
dock, massage chairs, video game systems, universal remote rooms and
workout equipment/DVDs. Second to technology, guests are most pleased
when their favorite food and beverages are provided during their hotel
stay:
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45% said their favorite new amenities are: happy hours, wine tastings or any other time with free food and drinks.
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31% want to see more complimentary bottled water in their hotel rooms (34% of female travelers; 24% of male travelers.)
Other findings:
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Despite some guests stealing linens/towels (14%) or
magazine/books (12%) from hotel rooms, over 66% of hotel guests have
never stolen an item from their hotel room.
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Travelers felt like extra luxuries like turndown service and
bath menus were "not worth the hype," according to 44% of female
respondents and 30% of male respondents.
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The bathroom phone gets no love. It is the least used hotel amenity, with 37% of total respondents saying they never touch it.
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When asked about amenities at luxury hotels, women prefer
designer toiletries (23%) and men prefer the fitness center and spa
(27%.).
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When asked if they could stay celebrity-style, the top option
for both men (35%) and women (38%) was to have their kitchen pre-stocked
with their favorite food and beverages. A close second was the ability
to have a private pool and hot tub in the room (37% of women; 34% of
men.) These options beat out such fun or diva-esque in-room demands like
an arcade, favorite fresh flowers everywhere, private staff or a movie
screening room.
