Hilton Garden Inn Survey Reveals Americans Consider Value and Comfort Most Important When Choosing a Hotel Before a 'Big Day'

A newly released Hilton Garden Inn survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. * revealed that when booking a hotel for a “big day”, the majority of Americans surveyed value a comfortable bed just as much as they do like a good hotel rate. More than three fourths of Americans (80 percent) consider the best value for the rate most important, followed by 76 percent who think a comfortable bed is the most important amenity to consider when booking a room.

The survey also revealed Americans consider both personal and business-related “big days” important. The most popular personal occasions involved spending time with others including road trips with family/friends (64%), family reunions (49%), wedding anniversaries (43%), graduation celebrations (42%) and significant other’s birthdays (40%) while trade shows/conventions (35%), job interviews (22%) and client presentations (14%) topped the business-related occasions list.

“Whether for business or pleasure, Hilton Garden Inn understands how important big days are to our guests, which is why we’ve developed the “Big Day” theme across all of our marketing efforts,” said Jim Cone, Hilton Garden Inn, Vice President Brand Marketing “When tomorrow’s a big day, stay HGI tonight.”

While Hilton Garden Inn hosts guests for both business and pleasure, the majority of the hotel’s guests check-in for business-related occasions. The survey revealed these business travelers spend a lot of time on the road, averaging at least eight business trips per year. The survey also revealed the following business travel trends:

• Monday is the most frequent night for business travelers to stay overnight

• Female business travelers are more likely than men to miss the comfort of their bed while on the road for business (43% vs. 29%), while men are more likely to miss a home cooked meal (36% vs. 16%)

• Women are more likely than men to enjoy having someone clean up after them (71% vs. 58%, have breakfast made by someone else (62% vs. 49%) and have the bed to themselves (51% vs. 37%)

• Just more than half (53%) of experienced business travelers recommend setting two alarms the day of a big meeting

• Sleep Deep: Americans say a comfortable bed is the most important amenity when booking a hotel, whether traveling for business or pleasure.

• Work Smart: Almost half of Americans surveyed (48%) consider complimentary Internet/Wi-Fi access an important amenity.

• Eat Well: More than half (53%) of travelers say they secretly love having breakfast made by someone else.

*Survey Methodology
The Hilton Garden Inn survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation via a telephone consumer poll of 1,020 adults, living in private households in the continental United States. Respondents were recruited via a random-digit-dial phone methodology. The survey was completed in February 2010. Results are reported at the 95% confidence level with a margin error of +/- 3%.