AH&LA lodging survey 2008

Press Release from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (6/16):

2008 AH&LA LODGING SURVEY STATISTICS SUPPORT NEW HOTEL TRENDS
Survey of More Than 10,000 U.S. Properties Unveils Trends in Technology, Health- and Eco-Conscious Travel

"Washington, June 16, 2006 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) releases its 2008 Lodging Survey, one of the most comprehensive industry-wide surveys of its kind, revealing notable trends in all segments of U.S. hotels. Funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) and conducted by Smith Travel Research, the research analyzes feedback from more than 10,000 U.S. hotel properties polled in more than 100 areas of hotels, including types of in-room amenities, security and technology features, food and beverage options, number of beds, guest services, and property offerings. Additionally, this year’s survey included green initiative analysis for the first time.

Among the many major findings, the survey revealed the following:

New technologies are becoming more common:

Wireless Internet access is represented in 91 percent of responding properties, up 35 percent from just four years earlier;

The number of hotels that charge for in-room Internet use is on the decline. Sixteen percent of hotels charge for this service, down from 19 percent in 2006 and 22 percent in 2004;

35 percent of respondents offer iPod docking stations in-room; Upper upscale (76 percent) and luxury hotels (58 percent) are the most likely to offer this new amenity.
Hotels are getting healthier:

Seventy-nine percent of responding properties have an exercise room and/or fitness facility, and 77 percent of these are complimentary for guests;

The number of respondents who offer vegetarian menu options rose 16 percentage points to 48 percent. The number of hotels offering ‘healthy menu’ options also rose 15 points to 66 percent;

Twenty-four percent of respondents offer allergy-free hotel rooms.
Properties are shading operations with a greener hue:

Sixty-eight percent of properties report using energy-efficient lighting;

Twenty-one percent of respondents are planning to incorporate Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards into their properties in the next 12 months; Twenty percent note they have already incorporated LEED elements during the past 12 months." ...
“We are thrilled that this study has been recognized as one of the most comprehensive analyses of the total domestic lodging industry, and has been since the Educational Foundation began its funding in 1998,” said Joori Jeon, CPA, CAE, AH&LEF president/COO. “To date, AH&LEF's research program has funded more than $2.4 million in like research studies to benefit the industry.” ..........

for the complete press release -- only members can access the report but individual segments may be purchased.