Traveler Survey Reveals Free Wi-Fi Tops Must-Have List

Global travelers are looking for a home-away-from-home experience when they stay in a hotel according to the latest research from leading online accommodation booking service, Hotels.com®. Topping the list of must-have hotel amenities are free Wi-Fi and free food and beverages, with caffeine being a must. All the rest is just, well… extra.

 

34 percent say free Wi-Fi is the number one factor in choosing a hotel even on leisure stays.

56 percent of respondents said free Wi-Fi was their number one must-have when traveling for business.

66 percent indicated free Wi-Fi is the amenity they most wish would become standard at all hotels in 2013.

 

Free Wi-Fi trumps both free parking and complimentary breakfast when it comes to choosing a hotel for both leisure and business travel, showing that access to the online world is a necessity for modern-day travelers with over a third still looking to stay connected while on vacation. In fact, just 11 percent of global travelers said they would be willing to pay for Wi-Fi when staying in a hotel.

 

The global reliance on free Wi-Fi mirrors results of the 2012 Hotels.com Amenities Survey of North American travelers, though the percentage of travelers wishing for complimentary Wi-Fi to become standard has more than doubled.

 

Technological creature comforts of home are also high on the priority list for travelers with 23 percent choosing high-end coffee makers as their top modern in hotel room amenity.

 

Totally wired rooms which are completely controlled by one remote for any need took 20 percent of the vote. Guests also indicated they would like to enjoy that much-wanted free Wi-Fi on hotel-provided tablets for guest information, room service and local guides (15 percent). After brewing their coffee and grabbing their loaner tablet, American travelers don’t want to cozy-up in just any old chair. According to the U.S. specific survey results, contemporary massage chairs are American’s third favorite modern amenity.

 

Keeping hydrated when travelling is important to hotel guests with 43 percent choosing complimentary bottled water as the most appreciated simple amenity. Only respondents from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Brazil rated free power adaptors above bottled water. Tabletop electrical outlets integrated into desk and desk lamps came in as the second most appreciated simple amenity in the U.S. – we’ve got to have somewhere to plug in all those gadgets.