NEWTON, Mass., Sept. 3, 2008 - TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest
travel community, today announced the results of its hotel survey of more
than 2,200 travelers worldwide. Ninety-two percent of respondents said
they are planning to stay at a hotel or B&B in the next 12 months.
Nineteen percent will stay at a hotel or B&B more than 10 times in
the coming year, and 45 percent will stay between 2-4 times in the next
12 months.
The Good
When asked what makes a hotel great, 30 percent of respondents said
location is the most important factor, while 29 percent cited comfortable
beds, and 24 percent said hotel staff/great service. When asked what makes
a hotel bed comfortable, 64 percent said it's the mattress, 11 percent
noted the linens, and another 11 percent said it's the pillows.
The Bad
When asked what ruins a hotel stay, 54 percent said unclean rooms, 14
percent cited noisy hotel guests and 11 percent pointed to poor hotel staff/service.
The Ugly
Sixty-eight percent of travelers have experienced a dirty carpet at
a hotel, 64 percent have dealt with non-working appliances, and 59 percent
have waited as their room was not ready at check-in. Thirty-eight percent
of travelers think the dirtiest part of a hotel is the carpet, 37 percent
speculate it's the bedspread, 11 percent believe it's the television remote
and another 11 percent think it's the bathroom.
Bummed about Bedbugs
Eighty percent of travelers said they are concerned about bed bugs when
visiting a hotel. Eight percent of travelers surveyed said they have experienced
bed bugs at a hotel.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words?
Seventy-eight percent of travelers said hotels are often "as advertised,"
17 percent said they are rarely as advertised. Sixty-six percent of travelers
said B&Bs are "as advertised," 20 percent said they are rarely so.
Hotel Decision Making
Forty-two percent of travelers (46 percent of U.S. respondents) said
they typically stay at luxury brand hotels, 31 percent usually stay at
economy hotels and 21 percent said their norm is boutique hotels. Six percent
most frequently stay at B&Bs.
Thirty-two percent of travelers (37 percent of U.S. respondents) said
they are brand loyal when it comes to hotels. When asked what price range
they target when searching for hotels, 19 percent said under $300, 27 percent
chose less than $200, 28 percent said less than $150, and 16 percent chose
less than $100 per night. Two percent said they search for hotels at more
than $500 per night. When asked what type of hotel promotion offers the
greatest incentive to book, 73 percent of travelers said it is a reduced
room rate.
"Your hotel experience can make or break your vacation and we've
found that travelers don't ask for much. Cleanliness is the top travel
requirement among TripAdvisor members and that doesn't seem like too much
to ask," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for
TripAdvisor.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2008
About TripAdvisor Media Network
TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor,
LLC, attracts more than 32 million monthly visitors* across 12 popular
travel brands, TripAdvisor(R), www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com,
www.cruisecritic.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com,
www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com,
www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites
make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million
monthly visitors*, six million registered members and 15 million reviews
and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded
sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/),
the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie/),
France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr/), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de/),
Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it/), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es/)
and India (http://www.tripadvisor.in/). TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides
travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click
marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor
Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and
industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor
Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) .
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