New Poll Cites Hotel Safety As Critical Concern Among Travelers

WILMINGTON, DE— Nearly nine out of 10 travelers consider hotel safety a key factor when deciding on a hotel, according to a new survey by Harris Interactive/SafePlace. Thats nearly 94% of travelers surveyed for this study who consider hotel safety to be a make or break factor in their decision-making. The study was conducted by SafePlace Corp., an independent provider of safety accreditation of lodging, commercial, healthcare and educational facilities, and Harris InteractiveSM, a worldwide market research and consulting firm for SafePlace. While respondents cited the importance of and need for adequate hotel safety, the study found that only about one out of five (22%) actually investigate a facilitys safety levels. However, (3% said they would be likely to stay in a hotel that was certified as safe versus a non-certified hotel. Plus, 78% would be willing to pay more for a hotel that offered this extra measure. When choosing hotel accommodations, (6% of women felt safety was key. When asked about various safety features such as security (staff background checks, electronic keys); fire safety features (smoke detectors, sprinklers); and safe food handling, water purity and air quality, almost half of the women polled considered security items to be a more important consideration, while men viewed fire safety items as the most important issue (41%). Food handling, water purity and air quality were all less of a concern for all survey respondents.