A pan–India survey commissioned by IHG Hotels & Resorts as part of the launch of their "Guest How You Guest" global loyalty campaign revealed insights into how consumers like to enjoy their stay as hotel guests.
With a sample size of 5000 respondents, including males (52.7 percent) and females (47.3 percent) from age groups of 18 – 65, the survey aimed to investigate the preferences and desires of hotel guests, critical to offering a world-class hospitality experience. Findings showed that guests value a more personalised experience.
According to the results, the three most popular features guests look for in a satisfactory hotel experience are:
- Room service (58 percent)
- Selection of food available at onsite restaurants and facilities such as pool and sauna stands (50 percent)
- Available in-room entertainment (40 percent)
Further exploring how Indians like to guest in hotels, research revealed that 32 percent are content walking around a hotel in their beachwear. Meanwhile, 22 percent like to get changed for dinner to look their best, and 19 percent are comfortable enough slouching in their pyjamas and hotel slippers. Another 17 percent of respondents revealed that not having to cook or clean up after themselves (15 percent) are key luxuries enriching the hotel stay experience.
A standout statistic in the survey was that 93 percent of guests feel they can completely be themselves while staying at hotels. While 56 percent feel they are always relaxed during their stay, 34 percent feel at home, and 12 percent worry that their kids may misbehave and cause disturbance to other guests.
The survey also underlined the popularity of a personalised hotel experience (79 percent), something IHG Hotels & Resorts is seeking to celebrate with the launch of their 'Guest How You Guest' campaign. The global initiative spotlights the benefits of unique and personalised guest experiences for members of their newly launched IHG One Rewards programme. The programme, a standout in the hospitality landscape, offers industry-leading value and relevant benefits for members to enhance their stays beyond what is already carefully curated for guests.
As part of the research, IHG created a series of 'hotel guest archetypes'. Amongst these are:
- "Memories-makers", focusing on creating memorable experiences and exploring the local area and (31 percent)
- "Groupie", most likely to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends (23 percent)
- "Party people", using the pool by day and going for drinks at night, (17 percent)
- "Romance-lovers", enjoying luxurious, romantic trips with their partners, and finally (16 percent)
- "Explorers", going off the beaten track to discover new experiences (10 percent)
"The hospitality industry in India is ever evolving and growing at a very rapid pace, catering to diverse guest preferences across business and leisure segments," said Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts. "Guests remain the focal point of all our services, and thus we must understand their needs, desires and preferences to deliver what they're looking for the most. Understanding that guests value personalised services at hotels the most has been very insightful. At IHG, we aim to deliver just that and more to attract repeat customers. We know each of our guests is unique, and with our reinvigorated loyalty programme, IHG One Rewards, members can tailor how they use their points to best suit them."
