Parents who let their kids get out of control on vacation are the most annoying travelers of all. So let’s say nearly three-quarters (72%) of those surveyed in an Expedia.com survey of hotel etiquette.
Travelers misbehave
In a field of aggravating hotel guests, inattentive parents were voted the most annoying travelers for the second year in a row, narrowly outperforming hallway fundraisers (69%, which may also include kids running through hallways), revelers in-room (59%), whistleblowers (53%), bickerers (35%), loudly loving couples (29%), poolside partiers (28%), hot tub canoodlers (22%), travelers from drunken businesses (17%) and charlatan elevator (9%).
If you suspect that people judge your children’s behavior, you are not imagining things. For parents, the bottom line is that consideration for fellow guests can go a long way. If you are raising a cheerful child, consider choosing a child-friendly hotel or cruise line, or consider a vacation rental where your family has more privacy.
Hotel tip tag
The Expedia survey also revealed that nearly half of Americans (46%) tip their housewives, making them the most tipped hotel employee. Other tipping habits include:
- 40% gratuity for room service deliveries
- 30% tip to valet
- 20% tip to the porter
- 10% tip to concierge
Surprisingly, nearly a third of American hotel guests (30%) do not tip any hotel employee.
Three-quarters of Americans (74%) consider room service a luxury, while the remaining 26 percent consider it a necessity. Six percent of hotel guests haggle over their room rate at check-in.
Shady Hotel Habits
Among the freedoms Americans take in hotels:
- 24% of respondents said they had brought home toiletries
- 11% have allowed more people to stay in their room than they declared in the hotel.
- 10% have stolen items from their hotel room
- 4% have smoked in a non-smoking room
- 3% have listened to guests in a neighboring room
Top Priorities
When asked about the factors that are “very important” in choosing a hotel, almost three-quarters (73%) of those surveyed mentioned price. Other factors that ranked high:
- 63% of respondents are looking for free Wi-Fi
- 61% said location was very important
- 43% trust guest reviews
- 38% want parking options
- 20% seek the ability to earn reward points
- 18% think the hotel brand is very important
Most desired services
- 88% said Wi-Fi was important
- 81% want a fridge in the room
- 80% look for complimentary toiletries.
- 59% want the hotel to have a pool
The 2016 Expedia Hotel Etiquette Study surveyed 1,018 Americans about the behavior exhibited by their fellow hotel guests. The study was commissioned by Expedia and conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company.
