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January 12, 1999 - Novotel survey finds that while men are
more likely to be romantic while staying at hotels, conferences and corporate
days are still �men�s business�
The second Novotel Survey indicates that women are cleaning up their act when it comes to hotel rooms. In the initial survey a year ago, all but one of the Novotel hotels reported that men, on average, left their rooms cleaner, where as in the new survey, 8 of the 21 Novotels in Australia and New Zealand ruled in favour of women. Men are more likely to take on a more romantic streak when they stay at Novotels, being the instigator of the majority of requests for flowers, chocolates, champagne and candlelit dinners. Men also showed a growing interest in massages, but the survey recorded that men had a strong preference for female masseurs, where as women were less likely to ask for a specific sex. In terms of eating and drinking habits, �the norm� ruled. Men use the bar fridge more often than women, and - almost universally - the favoured beverage for men was beer. Women preferred mineral water, with wine and G&T as the alcoholic preferences. Where as room service food demands in the last Novotel survey were dominated by the ubiquitous club sandwich for men and caesar salad for women, this year pizza attracted more attention from both sexes, though in New Zealand the burger and steak were the main staples for men folk. In all hotels, women showed a strong preference for �healthy� choices on the restaurant and in-room menus. The 21 Novotels across the two countries were considering establishing a new business selling mobile phone battery chargers because almost unanimously they were the most frequently left-behind objects of males. Does this have any synergy with the fact that they � also unanimously - won the award for �most frequently sleeping through the alarm�?. Males were also sometimes discovered naked and locked out of their rooms. While stereotypes did rule in most cases, the new survey showed that women are becoming more assertive in their hotel demands. They are more likely to request services from the concierge than males and they are just as likely to request an upgrade as their male counterparts, though men are far more obsessed with frequent flyer points and business related demands. When it comes to conferences and corporate days, the division of the sexes clearly remains. For conferences, hotels estimate that males make up between 60 � 90% of participants depending on location, while corporate days involving golf are definitely the preserve of males, with 90% or more of the field made up of men. Interestingly, with conferences where a spouse programme is included, men tend to bring their partners, where as males rarely join their conferencing female partners. Most Novotels suggested that women are more likely to �souvenir� items from their room (such as bathroom accessories), and were likely to be the target of complaints from males about high-pitched laughing from an adjacent room. In return, men were often accused of having their TV on too loud, and had a definite predilection towards adult movies on the pay channel (by 95% to 5%). The Novotel Survey was conducted in 21 Novotel hotels and resorts in
Australia and New Zealand. Novotel is one of the world�s most renowned
�business class� brands with some 400 hotels worldwide. Novotel is managed
by Accor, the world�s largest hotel and tourism group.
The survey was conducted by department heads at 21 Novotels operating
in Australia and New Zealand. The survey was carried out in December 1998.
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