Questionnaire for Budget
Hotels - UK
Influential
Factors When Choosing a Budget Hotel-Questionnaire Help for UK Dissertation.
Key points
●
Over seven in ten of those
that have stayed at a budget hotel at some point cite price as the factor that
most influenced their choice.
●
Facilities hold particular
appeal for the young, students and singles.
●
In general, respondents
appreciate that budget hotels are kept basic and do not wish to see them
improved if it would increase prices.
“Thinking about the last time you stayed in a
budget hotel, what factors most influenced your decision to stay at that particular
venue?”
FIGURE 35: Factors that most influenced decision to stay
at a particular budget hotel, 2007 and 2009
|
|
June 2007
|
April 2009
|
% point change 2007-09
|
|
Base – 2008: Adults aged 16+ who have stayed in
a budget hotel/ 2009: internet users aged 16+ who have stayed in a budget
hotel
|
1,101
|
1,506
|
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Price
|
49
|
74
|
+25
|
|
Proximity to city centre/attractions
|
41
|
47
|
+6
|
|
Parking
|
15
|
31
|
+16
|
|
Proximity to transport (ie airport, train
station)
|
-
|
24
|
-
|
|
Facilities (eg pool, gym, hotel bar)
|
12
|
13
|
+1
|
|
Recommended by friends/family
|
14
|
13
|
-1
|
|
Know it’s always good food and service
|
10
|
12
|
+2
|
|
Out of town location
|
9
|
9
|
-
|
|
Internet access
|
4
|
9
|
+5
|
|
Décor (ie modern/traditional or simply clean
and fresh/new/with good upkeep)
|
7
|
8
|
+1
|
|
Recommended by critics/guides/online/media
reviews*
|
4
|
7
|
+3
|
|
Other reason
|
13
|
8
|
-5
|
|
Didn’t choose myself
|
11
|
7
|
-4
|
|
Don’t know
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
* 2007 statement: “Recommended by
critics/guides/media reviews”
SOURCE: 2008: GfK NOP/Mintel 2009: GMI/Mintel
Price, the young and recommendations
●
Price as a determining factor of venue has
increased in importance by a significant 25 percentage points, retaining its
position as top choice and significantly outpacing any other factor.
“I don't have a favourite brand, would generally
go with the cheapest.”
-25-34-year-old
ABC1 female
●
Although price is the highest-rated reason across
all demographic breakdowns, there are slight variations. The south of the UK is
slightly less likely to call it the most important factor when compared to the
North West, Yorkshire, Humberside and Scotland – reflecting the relative
affluence of the region.
●
Looking at age, price is not as important to
25-34-year-olds as it is to the average consumer.
●
Facilities (pool, gym, hotel bar, etc) are far
more important than average to the 16-24-year-old travellers, reflecting the
likelihood that they use such venues for leisure purposes and not business
travel. Over one in five of this age group cite facilities as the factor that
most influences choice.
●
A similar proportion of those in full-time
education do the same, indicating student priorities. Singles are also more
likely than average to look for such facilities.
Key Analysis: This indicates that students
consider budget hotels for cheap leisure breaks, getting away from their
studies and looking to have fun at a reasonable price. So targeting
universities from neighbouring cities with advertising (ie Bath and Bristol,
for example) could pay dividends – especially if your budget hotel has a bar.
●
Elsewhere, provision of the internet has become
more important (as have online reviews).
●
A recommendation by friends/family is
particularly important to families – those with children aged 5-9 and in
households of four.
●
The mix between business and leisure increasing
in favour of the latter is also indicated by the falling percentage of those
that didn’t choose the venue themselves.
●
Men are more likely than women to think with
their stomachs – they are above average in choosing somewhere to stay based on
knowing that it always has good food and service. The same is true of internet
access.
●
There is no real gender bias in the importance of
décor, however, confounding expectations, perhaps.
●
Some results are not so surprising – broadsheet
readers (both of dailies and Sundays) are more likely to be influenced by
reviews, for example.
Improvements at a cost
●
Given the importance ascribed to price, it is no
real surprise that respondents believe that budget hotels should not sacrifice
their price positioning in exchange for more facilities.
“If they were improved much, this would put the
cost up and lots of people use them because of the low cost. So I don't know
how they could be improved.”
-45-54-year-old
ABC1 female
“Again agree, if you increase the service you
increase the price.”
-25-34-year-old
ABC1 male
“Again, I agree with all the respondents so far.
There's not much you can do to improve them without pushing the costs up so you
would end up paying more. Then they would not be 'budget' hotels. I think by
offering a professional service, keeping rooms basic but clean and having
friendly staff would help, as people would be more inclined to return or
recommend it to friends.”
-35-44-year-old
ABC1 female
“I agree, improve the service and the cost will
go up but I guess they could make them smaller and more appealing on the
outside, at present they all seem to look the same.”
-35-44-year-old
C2DE female
Brand factors
FIGURE 36: Factors that most influenced decision to stay
at a particular budget hotel, by most popular brands ever stayed in (UK or
abroad), April 2009
|
|
All
|
Travelodge
|
Premier Inn (formerly Premier Travel Inn)
|
Express by Holiday Inn
|
Ibis
|
Comfort Inn
|
|
Base: internet users aged 16+ who have stayed
in a budget hotel
|
1,506
|
1,099
|
663
|
442
|
359
|
320
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Price
|
74
|
77
|
78
|
81
|
82
|
83
|
|
Proximity to city centre/attractions
|
47
|
49
|
53
|
55
|
51
|
54
|
|
Parking
|
31
|
33
|
37
|
38
|
37
|
39
|
|
Proximity to transport (ie airport, train
station)
|
24
|
24
|
27
|
27
|
24
|
29
|
|
Facilities (eg pool, gym, hotel bar)
|
13
|
12
|
16
|
15
|
14
|
19
|
|
Recommended by friends/family
|
13
|
12
|
14
|
15
|
13
|
17
|
|
Know it’s always good food and service
|
12
|
12
|
16
|
14
|
13
|
16
|
|
Out of town location
|
9
|
9
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
11
|
|
Internet access
|
9
|
8
|
9
|
8
|
9
|
13
|
|
Décor (ie modern/traditional or simply clean
and fresh/new/with good upkeep)
|
8
|
8
|
11
|
9
|
9
|
12
|
|
Recommended by critics/guides/online/media
reviews
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
|
Other reason
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
|
Didn’t choose myself
|
7
|
6
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
3
|
|
Don’t know
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
SOURCE: GMI/Mintel
●
Comfort Inn guests were above average in opting
for price as important, with more than eight in ten doing so – the highest
level of these five most-used brands.
●
Travelodge users do not differ significantly from
the average in the priority they place on factors of influence. This is
unsurprising, given the sheer level of usage (compared to the other budget
hotel brands).
FIGURE 37: Factors that most influenced decision to stay
at a particular budget hotel, by second-most popular brands ever stayed in (UK
or abroad), April 2009
|
|
All
|
Days Inn
|
Jurys Inn
|
Marriott Courtyard
|
Campanile
|
Formule 1
|
|
Base: internet users aged 16+ who have stayed
in a budget hotel
|
1,506
|
204
|
179
|
155
|
130
|
117
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Price
|
74
|
87
|
83
|
81
|
83
|
79
|
|
Proximity to city centre/attractions
|
47
|
47
|
63
|
57
|
50
|
42
|
|
Parking
|
31
|
43
|
40
|
41
|
46
|
32
|
|
Proximity to transport (ie airport, train
station)
|
24
|
33
|
32
|
29
|
21
|
22
|
|
Facilities (eg pool, gym, hotel bar)
|
13
|
19
|
17
|
23
|
16
|
12
|
|
Recommended by friends/family
|
13
|
14
|
13
|
25
|
16
|
13
|
|
Know it’s always good food and service
|
12
|
11
|
17
|
13
|
15
|
9
|
|
Out-of-town location
|
9
|
11
|
6
|
12
|
12
|
10
|
|
Internet access
|
9
|
14
|
13
|
17
|
9
|
15
|
|
Décor (ie modern/traditional or simply clean
and fresh/new/with good upkeep)
|
8
|
8
|
12
|
13
|
9
|
4
|
|
Recommended by critics/guides/online/media
reviews
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
10
|
13
|
8
|
|
Other reason
|
8
|
6
|
3
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
|
Didn’t choose myself
|
7
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
2
|
6
|
|
Don’t know
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
SOURCE: GMI/Mintel
●
Days Inn customers are particularly
price-focused, with almost nine in ten calling it a most-influencing
consideration – the only hotel brand where the factor reaches that level.
●
Jurys Inn’s positioning (“Inn The Heart Of It
All”) is reflected by its customers’ preferences – over six in ten look for
proximity to city centre/attractions (the highest of all brands) and
approximately one in 20 go for an out-of-town location.
If you want Questionnaire for Choosing Budget Hotel for your Dissertation, Contact Mahasagar Publications.
