The Formula for the Best Hotel Stay

The Formula for the Best Hotel Stay

A mathematical formula created by data experts has revealed what Aussies look for in their perfect hotel stay.

New research from Hotels.com revealed the formula for the perfect hotel stay, with modern-day tech needs such as Wi-Fi taking a back seat to more humble desires such as staff friendliness and comfort. It found that comfort, cleanliness and friendly staff = the perfect Aussie hotel stay.

Cleanliness and comfort are 36 times more important than a sumptuous breakfast, a luxurious pool, or a deluxe coffee machine in your room. Surprisingly, despite 7.3 million Aussie’s owning a smart phone, the impact of friendly and helpful staff is ten times more important than free Wi-Fi.

Hotel.com analysed 148 million comments from more than 5 million trusted guest reviews on hundreds of thousands of hotels. Over 25 million guest reviews on the Hotels.com site fuelled the deep-dive into the right formula for the perfect hotel stay:

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F = Staff friendliness
C= Perceived cleanliness of the room
B= Bed comfort
P= Perceived Reasonable Price
Q= Quietness of room
S = Swimming pool
Br= Breakfast included
D = Location/walking distance/access
W = Free Wi-Fi
H= Hot drink able to be made in room
HP = Overall hotel perfection

Consumer psychologist, Dr Simon Moore, who led the Hotels.com research, says the data provides a valuable insight into the human condition and demonstrates a direct correlation between high-value hotel factors and unconscious, basic human needs.

“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,” Dr Moore said.

Hotels.com marketing manager Australia and New Zealand, David Spasovic, said the formula offers an easy way to navigate the increasing numbers of reviews for hotels around the world.

“Consumer behaviour tells us reviews are becoming even more important than traditional hotel star ratings, with more Aussie travelers than ever booking their trips based on peer recommendations of Hotels.com’s hundreds of thousands of properties.

“But sometimes there is so much information out there it can be hard to decipher what’s important, so the winning formula helps to settle the debate of what makes the perfect hotel stay.”

The Australian hotels that came close to matching the formula include:

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

australian hotels hotels hotels.com

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