Hotels getting greener and healthier
Perhaps not surprisingly, new technology is blossoming and hotels continue to get greener and healthier, according to the most comprehensive industry-wide survey of its kind.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) polled 9,000 US for its detailed analysis that found:
—Although upper-end hotels appear more apt to use social networking sites for marketing purposes, 75 percent of respondents do in a clear move towards new technology. Wireless Internet access rose to 94 percent, up from 91 percent in 2008.
—“The number of hotels with exercise equipment in rooms nearly tripled to 17 percent, from six percent in 2008; 83 percent have an exercise room/health and fitness facility, up from 63 percent in 2004,” the survey found.
—Fifty-six percent have 100 percent non-smoking rooms, an 18 point increase from 2008; 38 percent make allergy free rooms available, up from 24 percent.
—Properties using energy-efficient lighting jumped from 68 percent in 2008 to 88 percent.
—Appearing on the survey for the first time, 44 percent of participants said they have or are working toward a green certification.
“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,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joseph A. McInerney.
By David Wilkening
David
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