A pan-India survey commissioned by IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) as part of the launch of their Guest How You Guest global loyalty campaign has revealed that guests highly value personalised hotel experiences that allow them to totally be themselves.
With a total sample size of 5,000 respondents including male (52.7%) and female (47.3%) from age groups of 18-65, the survey aimed to explore preferences and desires of guests during hotel stays, critical to offering a world-class hospitality experience.
The survey results revealed what guests are looking for in a hotel experience, with the three most popular features of a hotel stay being room services (58%), food selection at in-house restaurants (53%) and facilities such as pool, sauna (50%). Meanwhile, 40% of respondents enjoy in-room entertainment available in hotels.
The research showed that 32% are content walking around a hotel in their beachwear, while 22% like to dress their best for dinner and 19% are comfortable to just slouch in their sleepwear and hotel slippers. 17% of respondents admitted that not having to cook for themselves or clean up after (15%) are truly key luxuries that enrich the hotel stay experience.
A stand-out statistic was that 93% of guests felt they can completely be themselves while staying at hotels. While 56% feel they are always relaxed during their stay and 34% feel completely at home during their hotel stays, 12% worry that their kids may misbehave and cause disturbance to other guests.
The popularity of a personalised hotel experience (79%) was something IHG is seeking to celebrate with the launch of their Guest How You Guest campaign.
IHG also created a series of ‘hotel guest archetypes’ as part of the research. Among these, 31% are ‘memory-makers’ who focus on creating memorable experiences and touring around the local area; while 23% classed themselves as a ‘groupie’, most likely to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends. ‘Party people’ (17%) spent their days at the pool and going for drinks at night, while 16% were ‘romance-lovers’, enjoying luxurious, romantic trips with their partners. Finally, 10% are ‘explorers’, going off the beaten track to discover new experiences.
Sudeep Jain, managing director, South West Asia, IHG, said: “Guests remain the focal point of all our services, and thus it is imperative for us to understand their needs, desires and preferences to deliver what they’re looking for the most. It has been very insightful to understand that guests value personalised services at hotels the most.”
