The American Hotel & Lodging Association polled more than 6,000 hotel properties for what it called the most comprehensive industry study ever completed. Among its trends:
• The percentage of facilities offering cable or satellite television increased from 59% in 1998 to 98% in 2004.
• Voice mail is one of the fastest growing in-room amenities, growing from 4% in 1990 to more than 78% today.
• High-speed internet access has rocketed from 7% in 1998 to more than 50% in 2004.
• Another amenity on the rise was linen/towel reuse programs, growing from 14% in 1994 to 57% today.
• Various amenities continue to be more popular, and the only one to show a decrease was liquid soap dispensers.
The association is a 94-year-old dual membership group made up of state and city partner lodging groups throughout the US. It has 10,000 property members nationally.
Report by David Wilkening
