CHICAGO - Connectivity far outweighs all other hotel amenities according to a recent survey conducted by GO Airport Express, which serves O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport and The GO Group, LLC., which provides ground transportation at more than 90 airports worldwide.
Almost 200 people participated in the survey which asked travelers, what, aside from breakfast, is their favorite hotel freebie; 68 percent of respondents checked WiFi.
The second top answer, at 14 percent, was free transportation between the hotel and the airports. Following that were happy hour and in-room coffee and tea, tied at five percent.
Use of health club and the pool, free cookies and other snacks were preferred by three percent. Other amenities listed in the survey included newspapers; on-site airline and baggage check-in; complimentary use of umbrellas and on-site bicycles and bathrobes; less than one percent of respondents chose any of these options as their favorites.
"Today's travelers have made it clear they want and need to be connected at all times, and they don't want to be charged for it," says John McCarthy, president, GO Airport Express. "In order to build and maintain loyalty, properties should be responsive to this widely preferred amenity."
GO Airport Express, one of the oldest companies in Chicago, traces its founding to 1853 and the Parmelee Transportation Company, which provided a carriage service between Chicago's railroad stations and the downtown hotels. It is a founding member of The GO Group, LLC, the nation's largest airport transportation provider, serving some 90 airports in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and transporting more than 13 million passengers per year.
