Free Breakfast, WiFi Top Guest Priorities
Staying connected remains a top priority for global travellers when it comes to choosing their ideal hotel amenities, but complimentary breakfast is still the most important.
According to a Hotels.com survey, free WiFi has been voted as the most important in-room amenity and third most desired when choosing a hotel. The latest survey asked travellers to rank 33 different amenities and although the demand for WiFi was strong, complimentary breakfast was first choice amongst travellers as an overall hotel amenity, followed by a hotel restaurant.
The top 10 amenities chosen for the ideal hotel also included parking, smoke-free areas and coffee and tea available in the hotel lobby upon arrival. At the other end of the scale were amenities voted least important, including child-friendly amenities, pet-friendly services and hair salons. Conference centres and meeting rooms were also seen to be the least important amenities, even though over a third of respondents were business travellers.
When asked for the most important amenity found inside the hotel room, although free WiFi came out on top, a bathroom with a shower and overall room size came in at second and third places, respectively. Childcare in the room was voted least important.
“For the past two years our research has shown strong interest in hotel Internet access, but now WiFi is becoming more standardized which is great news for today’s connected travellers. This year we’re seeing a boost in travellers’ taste for higher quality food options which should satisfy the appetites of food lovers,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR travel expert for Hotels.com.
Top 10 Most Important Hotel Amenities in Hotels (ranked from 1-10): Complimentary Breakfast, Restaurant, Internet/Free WiFi, Parking, 24-hour Front Desk Service, Smoke Free Hotel, Swimming Pool, Bar, Air Conditioning, Coffee/Tea in Lobby; In-Room Hotel Amenity: Internet/Free WiFi, Bathroom with Shower, Room Size, TV System, Air Conditioning, Coffee/Tea, Non-Smoking Rooms, Premium Bedding, Daily Housekeeping, Mattress Type.
