TripAdvisor Survey Reveals Hotel Amenities Travelers Can and Can't Do Without

U.S. Travelers Want Hotels to Accept Their Credit Cards; Say "Meh" to Mini Bar

News provided by

Dec 12, 2013, 02:17 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of the TripBarometer Truth in Travel Survey¹, which reveals the hotel amenities and services U.S. travelers find most and least important.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO)

Free Wi-Fi, Parking and Breakfast in High Demand; But Travelers Not as Interested in the Mini-Bar or Spa

Most Important Hotel Amenities for U.S. Travelers

1.      Free In-Room Wi-Fi (89%)
2.      Free Parking (89%)
3.      Free Breakfast (84%)
4.      Free Personal Care Items (72%)
5.      Free Lobby Wi-Fi (71%)

Least Important Hotel Amenities for U.S. Travelers

1.      Mini Bar (21%)
2.      Spa/Beauty Treatments (23%)
3.      Business Center (34%)
4.      Laundry Service (39%)
5.      Free Pool-Side Wi-Fi (42%)

Accepting My Cards and Speaking My Language Top Traveler Wish Lists

"Accept my credit cards" (59%) and "hire staff who speak my language" (34%) are the top things U.S. travelers wish their hotels would do, as compared to 12 percent who wish hotels would "include typical food from my country in the menu."

Meanwhile, there are some good signs hotels are answering the call. 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."

¹TripBarometer: The world's largest accommodation and traveler survey – Data based on results from online survey of 19,692 travelers and 10,469 accommodations, June-July 2013

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 125 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.1 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 34 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 21 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.