NEWTON, Mass.—TripAdvisor announced the results of the TripBarometer Truth in Travel Survey, which reveals the hotel amenities and services U.S. travelers find most and least important.
Free Wi-Fi (89 percent), parking (89 percent) and breakfast (84 percent) remain in high demand, with free personal care items and free lobby WiFi rounding out the top five. The least important amenities include mini bars (21 percent), spa and beauty treatments (23 percent), business centers (34 percent), laundry service (39 percent), and free pool-side WiFi (42 percent).
It is also important for hotels to accept all credit cards, with 59 percent of travelers listing “Accept my credit cards” as a high priority. Also multilingual staff members are a big plus for hotels when it comes to guest satisfaction (34 percent).
As a result of increasing numbers of guests from various destinations around the world, hoteliers have already put in place a number of measures to address the needs of international visitors. Fifty-two percent of global hotel respondents have made efforts to honor the credit cards that their guests prefer to use, as compared to 44 percent of U.S. hotels.
“The TripBarometer Truth in Travel Survey reveals some interesting findings about the hotel amenities that top travelers’ lists of must haves, as free in-room Wi-Fi remains a huge factor in guests’ considerations, while travelers have much less interest in the mini-bar,” said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “It’s also nice to see properties in the U.S. and abroad redoubling their efforts to accommodate travelers’ credit card preferences.”
