Showing the prominence of Online Travel Agents (OTAs) in the hotel industry, 95 percent of participants in a American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) 2012 Lodging Survey, admitted to using a third-party Internet source for bookings. Upper-tier hotels reported 23 percent of respondents offer a mobile app for hotel services.
The AH&LA survey polled more than 52,000 U.S. hotel properties regarding in-room amenities, security and technology features, food and beverage options, guest services, sustainability, property offerings and more. Among the many findings, the survey revealed the following:
Eco-friendly practices remain important: 76 percent have a linen/towel reuse program; Water savings programs have been implemented in 75 percent of properties.
Properties are offering more technology resources: Although most of the positive responses are from upper-tier hotels, 23 percent of respondents already offer a mobile app for hotel services; Showing the prominence of OTAs in the hotel industry, 95 percent of participants admitted to using a third-party Internet source for bookings.
Hotels are health conscious: Properties that offer an exercise/health/fitness facility reached a new peak at 84 percent; Non-smoking policies at hotels are gaining momentum as 63 percent of participants said they are comprised of 100 percent non-smoking rooms.
The information in the 2012 Lodging Survey provides hoteliers with a snapshot of the key trends.
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