New research reveals that three in ten business travellers are willing to sacrifice safety for hotel loyalty and rewards incentives.
A survey of 2,000 business travellers around the world by Carlson Wagonlit Travel shows Americans are the most happy to compromise safety for rewards at 39 per cent, followed by Europeans (34 per cent) and those from Asia Pacific (28 per cent).
In the UK, 38 per cent of travellers would choose points over safety, making it among the highest out of the major European countries. Sweden tops the list at 51 per cent.
However, travellers do take note of safety concerns, with the majority stating they worry about the possibility of an intruder during their stay. Other anxieties highlighted in the survey include terrorist attacks (35 per cent) and disruption from other guests (34 per cent).
Other concerns cited by European travellers included fire (30 per cent) and hotel staff ‘inadvertently’ giving out personal information or their room key to a stranger (29 per cent).
In order to take their safety into their own hands, 75 per cent of business travellers said they keep their hotel room door locked at all times. More than a third (37 per cent) take the room key out of the key folder so others can’t link the key to their room if it gets lost, while 30 per cent place the “do not disturb” sign on their door when they leave the room.
Location in the hotel appears to be a key safety concern for business travellers, with 23 per cent saying they opt for a higher floor when possible and 15 per cent choosing a lower floor. Two in ten said they avoid staying on the ground floor.
Commenting on this finding, David Falter, president of Roomit by CWT, said: “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.”
When it comes to finding the balance between rewards and safety, Falter added: “Clearly, travellers are very focused on their hotel loyalty points – they will go to great lengths to get their hands on those benefits. One way of meeting that challenge – short of tougher enforcement – is to let travellers collect points for booking within policy.”
carlsonwagonlit.com