CHANHASSEN, Minn., Nov. 13, 2007 - Shrill arguments, raucous parties and passionate lovemaking top the list of sleep-disrupting noises that weary travelers often hear coming from nearby hotel rooms, according to a 2007 Noisy Neighbor Survey commissioned by the 213-location AmericInn hotel chain.
    
The survey polled more than 2,000 randomly-selected consumers throughout the country. Of those who responded that they've been bothered, disturbed or embarrassed by the sounds they heard coming from outside their own room, 41 percent reported hearing arguments and parties, and one out of three said they were bothered by the sounds of passionate lovemaking.
    
Other unwelcome noises that respondents said they've heard inside hotel rooms include flushing toilets and other bathroom sounds (26%); the din of power tools (13%); the sounds of illness (such as coughing and retching -- 12%) and loud snoring, burping or hiccupping (11%). Cited less often in the survey, but just as annoying were blaring television sets, the heavy footsteps of guests in hallways and loud music.
    
Noise and its mitigation is one of the hottest issues in the hotel industry today. "A J.D. Power 'North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Survey' announced earlier this year that noise was the single most significant problem reported when more than 47,000 travelers were asked about a recent hotel stay," said Arnold Angeloni, chief executive officer of AmericInn International, LLC, who himself was once awakened by an alarm clock going off in the room next door of a competitor's hotel. "Our Noisy Neighbor Survey helps to expose the most common sources of those annoying sounds -- and highlights just how unusual it is to have a really quiet hotel experience."
    
What's equally intriguing is what travelers do -- or don't do -- to mitigate the noise problem. Nearly half of survey respondents who reported hearing bothersome noises -- 44 percent -- said they have called the hotel manager or front desk to complain; one in five have tried to drown out a noisy neighbor with noise of their own; nearly 20 percent have also employed ear plugs or wrapped their head in a pillow. Surprisingly, more than one-quarter (26%) said they have simply put up with the ruckus and did nothing at all.
    
The 2007 Noisy Neighbor Survey is part of AmericInn's new marketing campaign highlighting how every AmericInn hotel room is built with AmericInn SoundGuard(TM) construction, scientifically proven to provide a quieter room thanks to a construction method that uses masonry block filled with sound-deadening foam, thick drywall and concrete slab floors to reduce noise between rooms. Insulated windows, ceilings and corridor walls, as well as solid guest room doors, thresholds, gaskets and sweeps help minimize noise in AmericInn rooms even further.
    
Another component of the marketing campaign was AmericInn's "Noisy Neighbor Contest," where travelers were encouraged to submit their own noisy hotel experiences to yournoisyneighbor.com. Andrea Spears of Eden Prairie won the grand prize of a $5000 Quiet Getaway for her humorous tale of waking to an alarm clock going off in a neighboring room at 3 a.m. Thinking the alarm was hers, Andrea got up, prepared for the day, only to learn that it was still the middle of the night. Spears's story was among 600 submitted to http://www.yournoisyneighbor.com.
    
About the Survey
    
AmericInn's Noisy Neighbor survey was conducted in August 2007 by Ipsos U.S. Express, which telephoned 2,013 randomly-selected consumers across the country.
    
About AmericInn
    
The AmericInn Lodging System is one of the fastest growing limited service lodging chains in the United States with 213 locations currently open or under development. The success and solid growth of the AmericInn chain is due to its unique AmericInn SoundGuard(TM) construction, product and market niche. AmericInn competes across the mid-scale without food and beverage segment and is dedicated to providing the best lodging value for its guests. The AmericInn lodging system is franchised by AmericInn International, LLC, a Minnesota based company with headquarters in Chanhassen.

AmericInn Lodging System
http://www.americinn.com