From room service to lip service, TripAdvisor survey reveals the best and worst of hotels

Sep 05, 08 | 1:58 am

TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel community, today announced the results of its hotel survey of more than 2,200 travelers worldwide. Ninety-two percent of respondents said they are planning to stay at a hotel or B&B in the next 12 months. Nineteen percent will stay at a hotel or B&B more than 10 times in the coming year, and 45 percent will stay between 2-4 times in the next 12 months. 

The Good

When asked what makes a hotel great, 30 percent of respondents said location is the most important factor, while 29 percent cited comfortable beds, and 24 percent said hotel staff/great service. When asked what makes a hotel bed comfortable, 64 percent said it's the mattress, 11 percent noted the linens, and another 11 percent said it's the pillows.

The Bad

When asked what ruins a hotel stay, 54 percent said unclean rooms, 14 percent cited noisy hotel guests and 11 percent pointed to poor hotel staff/service.

The Ugly

Sixty-eight percent of travelers have experienced a dirty carpet at a hotel, 64 percent have dealt with non-working appliances, and 59 percent have waited as their room was not ready at check-in. Thirty-eight percent of travelers think the dirtiest part of a hotel is the carpet, 37 percent speculate it's the bedspread, 11 percent believe it's the television remote and another 11 percent think it's the bathroom.

Bummed about Bedbugs

Eighty percent of travelers said they are concerned about bed bugs when visiting a hotel. Eight percent of travelers surveyed said they have experienced bed bugs at a hotel.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words?

Seventy-eight percent of travelers said hotels are often "as advertised," 17 percent said they are rarely as advertised. Sixty-six percent of travelers said B&Bs are "as advertised," 20 percent said they are rarely so.

Hotel Decision Making

Forty-two percent of travelers (46 percent of U.S. respondents) said they typically stay at luxury brand hotels, 31 percent usually stay at economy hotels and 21 percent said their norm is boutique hotels. Six percent most frequently stay at B&Bs.

Thirty-two percent of travelers (37 percent of U.S. respondents) said they are brand loyal when it comes to hotels. When asked what price range they target when searching for hotels, 19 percent said under $300, 27 percent chose less than $200, 28 percent said less than $150, and 16 percent chose less than $100 per night. Two percent said they search for hotels at more than $500 per night. When asked what type of hotel promotion offers the greatest incentive to book, 73 percent of travelers said it is a reduced room rate.

"Your hotel experience can make or break your vacation and we've found that travelers don't ask for much. Cleanliness is the top travel requirement among TripAdvisor members and that doesn't seem like too much to ask," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor.