80% of Kiwis call for free hotel Wi-Fi

80% of Kiwis call for free hotel Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi tops our wish list of essential hotel amenities

Auckland, 7 May, 2015 – Free Wi-Fi is still the number-one amenity voted for by Kiwi travellers when choosing a hotel for both leisure and business stays, according to the latest research from Hotels.com, the hotel experts.

The latest global Hotels.com survey of around 5,000 travellers found that 81 per cent of Kiwi travellers say they wish it would become the one tech amenity standard at all hotels – a 14 per cent increase on last year.

Complimentary Wi-Fi is still the top factor for 28 per cent of Kiwi leisure travellers when choosing a hotel, while forty-five per cent said free Wi-Fi is their must-have when travelling for business

Research also revealed that 68 per cent of Kiwis admitted to pinching non-complimentary amenities from their room, with slippers being the most popular item to disappear for good.

Katherine Cole, Regional Director, Australia, New Zealand & Singapore for the Hotels.com brand, said: “It’s no secret that both leisure and business travellers rely on technology to make their travel experience easier. The results of our survey show travellers are using the internet more than ever and they really do want to see this offered as a complimentary amenity in the hotels they select.

“Recognising travellers’ technology needs, Hotels.com offers a range of helpful online tools and apps, including an Apple™ Watch-compatible app that allows travellers to find nearby hotel deals, view upcoming reservations and locate their hotel,” Ms Cole said.

Here are some other highlights from Hotels.com’s latest global amenities survey:

Love of food & beverage

• Since 2013, a free breakfast has dropped from second most favoured amenity for Kiwi leisure travellers (24 per cent) to equal third place this year (11 per cent) in line with free parking.
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• For Kiwi business travellers, a free breakfast is ranked fourth (11 per cent) as a must-have amenity, who favoured free Wi-Fi (45 per cent), proximity to mass transit, restaurants and shops (15 per cent) and an in-room coffee maker or tea kettle (13 per cent) ahead of a free meal.
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o The three most important parts of a free breakfast are: fresh fruit, and tea and coffee (47 per cent); a healthy menu / special dietary requests (34 per cent); and eggs (32 per cent).
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• High-end coffee makers or espresso machines are Kiwi travellers’ favourite modern in-room amenity (34 per cent).
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• 40 per cent of respondents say complimentary bottled water is the simple amenity they want in all hotel rooms, compared to 49 per cent in 2013.
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• Complimentary breakfast is the top non-tech amenity travellers wish would become standard at all hotels today (23 per cent) followed by a refrigerator for personal use (19 per cent). Interestingly, nearly a third of respondents (30 per cent) said they would go without free breakfast in order to pay less for their hotel stay.
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• Kiwi travellers’ dream amenity is visiting a chocolate parlor to choose their own treats for the turndown service.

Hotel guests’ second & third loves

Kiwi travellers also want:

• Wired hotel rooms with one remote control for multiple functions and smart device docking stations, the second-most favourite modern in-room amenities (28 per cent).
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• The most desired tech items hotel guests want as standard are all-inclusive remote control (11 per cent) and gadget charging stations (6 per cent).

Falling out of love

• 23 per cent of Kiwi travellers say minibars aren’t worth the hype and 19 per cent say they go unused.
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• Phones get no love: Along with the minibar, bathroom phones are the equal first most unused item (19 per cent) and no one voted for cordless phones as the simple amenity wanted in hotel rooms.

Hotels.com makes it easy to book the type of accommodations with amenities travellers want through easy to use theme/type and amenities filters.

Get in on the conversation with #HotelAmenities and tell us which hotel perks you prefer.

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