Access to Wi-Fi and room rate are the top qualities influencing hotel choice among business travelers, but there are some important differences depending on the countries those travelers hail from, according to new research by RoomIt by CWT, the hotel distribution division of CWT.
The survey, which compiled responses from 660 business travelers from nine countries to identify what influences them to choose a particular hotel during the booking process, found that globally, having access to Wi-Fi (84%), room rate (81%), distance from business site (81%) and breakfast (79%) are the most important influences. By country, business travelers from the UK and Germany are the most influenced by having access to a health club (44%), while loyalty programs are the most important to those from Mexico and Germany (46%).
Overall, business travelers are more likely to stay at upper midscale to upper upscale properties. Travelers from the United States, Mexico and Italy are more likely to stay in upper midscale properties (32%, 35% and 27%), while travelers from India and Australia are more likely to stay in luxury properties (35% and 25%).
Globally, hotel and service are stronger drivers in picking the ideal hotel accommodation than amenities, image or location, according to the report. Quality (44%), trustworthiness (38%), convenience (40%), quietness (30%), affordability (28%) and coziness (28%) resonate the strongest. Regionally, quality is most important to India (63%), the U.S. (44%), Canada (40%) and the UK (39%). France prefers coziness and quiet the most (49% and 39%), while Mexico ranks trustworthiness the highest (54%).
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