The internet and smartphone age has given power to the people when it comes to hotel reviews, as Hotels.com reveals the formula for the perfect hotel stay, based on 148 million comments from millions of customer reviews.
The formula was created to celebrate the millions of reviews that were used to find the winners of this year’s Hotels.com Loved by Guests Awards, which recognize the very best hotels across the globe based on genuine guest reviews.
With over 25 million guest reviews on the Hotels.com site, a deep-dive into the data from 2016 delivers the right formula for the perfect hotel stay.
F25 + C35 + B10 + P2 + Q + Br + D7 + S + W + ½H = Hotel Perfection
Where:
F = How friendly are the staff
C= Perceived cleanliness of the room
B= How comfortable is the bed
P= Perceived Reasonable Price
Q= Quietness of the room
S = Swimming pool
Br= Breakfast is included
D = Location/Walking distance/access
W = Free WiFi
H= Hot drink available to make in room
HP = Overall hotel perfection
In the U.S., there are nearly 100 hotels that match the winning formula. In Las Vegas alone, 21 hotels fit the bill for hotel perfection including properties such as the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and Caesars Palace.
For travelers who prefer spending their vacations at the beach or experiencing the great outdoors, the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahuluiand the 24 North Hotel in Key West perfectly match the formula for hotel perfection and are sure to impress.
The research shows it’s the simple things that create hotel perfection, with luxurious extras seen as the cherry on the cake. The Hotels.com data revealed that cleanliness and comfort are 35 times more important than an extravagant breakfast, a luxurious pool or a deluxe coffee machine in your room. And surprisingly, in this connected world, the impact of friendly and helpful staff is 10 times more important than free Wi-Fi.
“While we all dream of luxurious hotels and sun-soaked beaches, in fact the things we value most when selecting a hotel tell us something far more fundamental about the human condition,” said consumer psychologist, Dr. Simon Moore, who led the Hotels.com research. “The analysis of over 148 million review comments from Hotels.com customers highlight that the main factors that guests really care about relate to their unconscious, basic human needs. From a psychological stand-point, risks and discomfort out-weigh comparative positive benefits five to one, so it’s no wonder travellers pay more attention to the fundamentals such as comfort and cleanliness over lavish pools and fine-dining.
“Cleanliness and comfort fulfils our need for relaxation, safety and security. A good location fulfils our needs to feel connected to others and that we have somewhere we can escape to in times of such need. The fact that staff friendliness plays such an important role in guest satisfaction shows that, as intrinsically social creatures, we love to be greeted with a smile and a chat. It makes us feel welcome and part of the group.”
“It’s time to start planning for summer travel, and with more travellers than ever before booking their trips based on peer recommendations and consumer behavior, we know that reviews are becoming even more important than the traditional hotel star ratings,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. “But sometimes there is so much information out there it can be hard to decipher what’s important, our handy new formula helps settle the debate of what makes the perfect hotel stay.”
If you’re looking to check in to the best of the best, then travellers need look no further than the 2,500 gold winners in this year’s Hotels.com Loved by Guests Awards. These hotels have been recognized as truly outstanding and have all achieved an average guest rating of 4.7 or higher. A further 1,000 hotels have also been crowned winners across ten bespoke ‘Best for’ categories.
Hotels.com is the obvious choice for guests looking for a perfect stay. It has hundreds of thousands of properties to choose from and through its award-winning mobile app, travellers can book on the go after reading detailed customer reviews to help find the hotel that’s just right for them.
