Hotel Room Size Matters to 95% Indians: Expedia Hotel Etiquette Report

Expedia®, a leading full service online travel company, today released the results of the 2016 Hotel Etiquette Report, an analysis of behavior and preferences of Indians while booking hotels. The survey was conducted amongst the males and females of India and highlights interesting findings regarding their preferences while booking a hotel of their choice. The survey was conducted online in the month of August by GFK Custom Research, North America. The survey was conducted on 1,014 randomly selected adults.

“The Hotel Etiquette survey highlights some interesting facts about preferences of Indian travelers while booking a hotel. According to the survey, the most preferred medium of booking a hotel amongst 35% Indians is a desktop/laptop/computer followed by mobile app on smartphone/tablets used by 29% while 14% travellers book through mobile web using smartphone/tablets. It is interesting to note that 89% Indians consider hotel reviews as very/somewhat important while choosing a hotel. As Indian travellers are evolving, 77% consider the ability to earn and redeem reward points on their bookings as important,” said Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia brand in India.

Obsessed with social media, 94% of Indians prefer a free Wi-Fi connection at a hotel, while 37% are unwilling to pay for the same, he added.

Detailed Findings:

What do we really really want in our hotel?

For 75% Indians, In-room features such as Jacuzzi, tub or balcony are very important
Location and Price are the most critical for 96%
Family friends, food, beverages, room size important for 95 %
Complimentary Wi-Fi would attract 93% Indians
92% would prefer eco-friendly hotel
89% feel that reviews are important before booking a hotel
88% feel Big washrooms/toilets are very important
Hotel Décor and parking options would attract 87% Indians
Hotel brands and balcony would attract 86% Indians while 84% consider Star-rating
Outdoor space/ grounds for 82% Indians
Ability to earn and redeem reward points is an important factor for 77% Indians
Swimming pool is important for 69% Indians while 64% also prefer gym facilities

Tip-sy Turvy:

96% Indians usually tip at a hotel
79% usually tip because of the room service
51 % tip after being impressed by the housekeeper
39% Indians tip the porter at the hotel whereas 24% Indians tip the valet
16% Indians prefer to tip the concierge and 14% tip the cabana attendant

Maintain Safe Distance!

The in-room revealers (loud noisemakers next door or nearby) with 50%, the Hallway hell raisers (noisemakers outside the room) with 48% and the Inattentive parents (those who let their children misbehave) with 47% have been voted as the most annoying guests by Indians in the hotels.
Indians get annoyed with the Complainers (people who berate hotel staff over minor inconveniences) with 47%, the Loudly Amorous (indiscreet love makers) with 39%, the Bickerers (arguing couples/ roommates) – 35% and the Poolside partners (loud poolside revealers) – 32%.
The business bar boozers (slashed business travel folks) and the Hot tub canoodlers (amorous couples in the public hot tub or pool) with 24% have also been considered as annoying.

No Compromises Please!

60% Indians switch their hotel rooms for various reasons.
51% Indians prefer switching their rooms at hotels if the washrooms are unclean, 48% Indians prefer switching rooms due to displeasing smell. 48% Indians also switch rooms because they were dirty or the beds were uncomfortable for 41% Indians.
Generally displeased with the state of the room, 37% Indians would switch their rooms followed by 33% Indians due to noisy neighbors and 30% because of the bad view.
If the elevators are too close, 19% Indians will switch their rooms and there are many other reasons 3% Indians usually switch their rooms at a hotel.

Methodology

HL Group recently commissioned a survey to explore general hotel experiences and opinions about hotel etiquette in India. In August 2016, GfK Custom Research LLC (GfK) administered the survey online to a representative sample of 1,014 randomly selected adults. The majority of the questions in the survey were answered by 896 adults within the sample who have stayed overnight in a hotel in the past two years. The data were statistically weighted so that respondents in the survey were demographically and geographically representative of the population of India.