The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has released the results of its 2010 Lodging Survey, it announced this week.
The largest survey of its kind in the hospitality industry, the bi-annual report is based on a poll of 9,000 U.S. hotel properties, which were asked about their in-room amenities, security and technology features, food and beverage options, guest services, sustainability, property offerings and more.
"Due to its large sample size and the sophisticated analytic breakdown by market segment, the 2010 Lodging Survey provides the largest representative sampling and view of trends in the American lodging industry," AH&LA President and CEO Joseph A. McInerney said in a statement. "Not surprisingly, there were large upticks in both technology and sustainability as hotels continue to cater to guests' interest in these two areas."
Among the key findings, according to AH&LA:
1. New technologies are becoming more common.
• Although they're more popular among upscale properties, 75 percent of all hotels use social networking sites for marketing purposes.
• Wireless Internet access is offered at 94 percent of hotels, up from 91 percent in 2008.
2. Hotels are getting healthier.
• The number of hotels with exercise equipment in guest rooms nearly tripled to 17 percent, up from 6 percent in 2008.
• Eighty-three percent of hotels have exercise rooms or fitness facilities, up from 63 percent in 2004.
• Fifty-six percent of hotels have 100 percent non-smoking guest rooms, an 18 percent increase from 2008.
• Thirty-eight percent of hotels make allergy-free rooms available, up from 24 percent.
3. Properties are becoming greener.
• Eighty-eight percent of properties use energy-efficient lighting, up from 68 percent in 2008.
• Forty-four percent of hotels say they have or are working toward a green certification.
For more information about the survey, or to purchase complete results, visit www.ahla.com.