Globally, three in ten business travelers are happy to sacrifice safety for hotel loyalty and rewards incentives, according to research by Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
Travelers in the Americas are likeliest to do so (39%), followed by Europeans (34%) and travelers from Asia Pacific (28%).
“Clearly, travelers are very focused on their hotel loyalty points – they will go to great lengths to get their hands on those benefits,” said David Falter, President, RoomIt by CWT. “One way of meeting that challenge – short of tougher enforcement – is to let travelers collect points for booking within policy.”
Almost one in three (30%) Asia Pacific business travelers expressed concerns about safety at hotels, in contrast to 27% travelers from the Americas and 23% of European travelers.
When asked what makes them feel unsafe, exactly half the travelers surveyed said they worry about an intruder breaking into their hotel room.
Four in ten travelers said they worry about hotel staff inadvertently giving out their room key or information to a stranger (41%) or disruptions caused by the actions of other guests (40%).
And a third of respondents identified fires (36%) and terrorist attacks (33%) as causes for concern.
As expected, the vast majority of travelers (75%) said one of the measures they take to stay safe is keeping their room door locked at all times.
“While most hotel rooms lock automatically, a number of solutions available on the market can provide an added layer of security,” said Falter. “Items such as door wedges, portable door locks and travel door alarms can help a traveler secure their room more effectively.”
More than a third of travelers surveyed (37%) said they take the room key out of key folder so people can’t link the key to the room. Travelers from the Americas (42%) are more likely to do this than those from other regions.
Another tactic is to put the ''do not disturb'' sign on the door when they leave the room – one adopted by 30% of travelers globally and 35% in Asia Pacific.
Travelers also believe that the floor they stay on can impact their safety and security. Almost a quarter of those surveyed (23%) said they opt for a higher floor when possible, while 15% choose a lower floor. Around two in ten travelers (21%) said they avoid staying on the ground floor.
“Security experts typically advise staying between the third and sixth floors, where it becomes difficult for an intruder to break in, but you’re still within the reach of most fire departments’ ladders,” added Falter.
