TripAdvisor survey reveals that 2 in 3 travellers take items from hotel rooms – from toiletries and tea, to batteries from the TV remote control
Two-thirds (65%) of global travellers and over three-quarters (77%) of Australians admit to taking something from a hotel following their stay, with toiletries being the most popular pilfered items. Three in five (59%) global hoteliers and 61% of Australian hotel owners report that their guests often take a variety of items when they leave. The TripBarometer¹ Truth in Travel survey reveals several discrepancies between what travellers say they take, compared to what hoteliers report missing from hotel rooms once guests depart.
"Shampoo is one thing, but please stop taking the towels!"
Guests are more likely to admit taking items that are customarily thought of as complimentary such as toiletries or stationery. However it seems some travellers feel that the towels, light bulbs and batteries they find in their rooms are free for the taking as well.
Despite only 7% of global travellers saying they have taken towels from hotel rooms, an alarming 1 in 4 hoteliers report towels going missing following a guest's stay.
Some travellers have peculiar ideas about what makes a good travel memento – 1 in 10 hoteliers report clothes hangers going missing and 7% have found the batteries removed from TV remote controls after guests check out.
Items travellers admit taking from hotels vs. what hotels report having been taken:
"If it's free, it's for me"
When it comes to the key motivators for choosing an accommodation, travellers around the world love a freebie. Over the past year, traveller interest in complimentary amenities has gone up, reinforcing the idea that one of the best ways for hoteliers to entice guests is to offer free services as part of the daily rate.
What amenities global travellers expect from their accommodation in 2013 vs. 2014:
“Culture vulture” or “creature comforts”?
The TripBarometer also revealed a few more minor discrepancies between what travellers say, and their actions while on holiday. According to the survey, global travellers would like to experience things that are unique to a destination or culture, with 38% saying they want to explore another culture, 20% wanting to explore new food and 30% looking to experience something specific to the destination. However, when it comes to choosing a place to stay, travellers want their accommodation to offer amenities that make them feel at home, such as ‘TV or film choices in their own language’ (31%) and ‘food from their own country’ (27%).
Aussies are far less fussy about food from their own country with only 17% stating they would expect their hotel to offer this as an option. They do seem more genuinely enthusiastic about the local culture than the global average however, with 40% stating this as their primary reason for visiting a new destination followed by the desire to try new food (23%).
And hotels are answering the call! As a result of increasing numbers of guests from various destinations around the world, hoteliers have already, or are planning to, put in place a number of measures to address the needs of international visitors. Fifty four percent of global hotel respondents provide, or plan to provide TV or film selections in foreign languages and 51% include, or plan to include international food choices on their menus.
¹Methodology: The research was commissioned by TripAdvisor and conducted by Edelman Berland, an independent market research firm, conducted via online survey in June and July 2013. Survey respondents were 10,469 accommodation business owners and 19,692 18+ adults who have booked travel online and taken at least one trip in the past year. Respondents were from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.
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TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travellers 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.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, June 2013
**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013
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