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Courtesy of www.travelmarketreport.com
1. Ubiquitous in-room technology
You just can’t do without in-room technologies—especially high-speed wireless Internet and high-definition flat screen televisions, which are now available in 98% and 88% of U.S. hotel rooms, respectively.
2. More dining options
From time-pressed guests to business travelers, hotel guests want dining options onsite. Nearly two-thirds of hotels (62%) offer complimentary breakfast; it’s a mainstay of the midscale sector (96%) but also popular at upper-midscale (80%) and economy (81%) hotels. The higher end of the spectrum, the luxury segment and resort location hotels, look more to offering a varied selection of options throughout the day, with both reporting an average of three food outlets per property.
3. Holding the line on resort fees
Only 4% of hotels nationally charge resort fees, the study found—down from 7% in 2014 and not many more than the 3% that did so in 2006. Most of them are in the luxury segment (31%) and independent hotels (17%). Fees for checking out early reached an all-time high, though, at a whopping 34%.
4. Luxury and upper-upscale segments are defined by services
What makes staying at a luxury or upper-upscale property so special is the elite level of service offered. Every luxury scale property polled offers valet, with upper-upscale trailing at 64%. A quarter of independent hotels reported having valet parking. Nearly all luxury, upper-upscale and upscale properties offer dry cleaning services as well.
While overall the percentage of hotels providing room service dropped, that was outside of the luxury and upper-upscale segments. The top two chain scale segments didn’t change their offerings.
The luxury segment also led the way in entertainment and nightlife options for guests, at 55%, compared to 9% of hotels overall.
5. Safety is paramount
It’s a scary world out there. The percentage of properties with security cameras in the lobby reached an all-time high at 86%, nearly double the number (58%) in 2012.
6. Convenience and comfort are the top priorities
Bring on the mobile check-in and mobile apps. The use of mobile apps for hotel service continues to climb, peaking at 35% for the industry overall. Nearly two out of every three hotels (65%) polled use mobile devices for check-in, but they are mainly in the top levels, from upper-midscale to luxury.
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