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Issue 62 Summer 2015 £2.75
Free Wi-Fi tops most popular hotel amenity By Christina Eccles FREE Wi-Fi is the most popular hotel amenity in the world, a survey has found, with technology savvy travellers choosing it as their most important factor when deciding on somewhere to stay. Booking website Hotels.com asked almost 5,000 respondents – a combination of both leisure and business travellers – which facilities were most important to them when booking a hotel. 30 per cent of respondents picked free Wi-Fi, knocking a complimentary breakfast off last year's top spot to second place with 21 per cent of the global vote. Free parking remained in third place for another year with one in 10 choosing this facility, beating swimming pool facilities on eight per cent and on-site restaurants and room service offerings, which achieved only three and two per cent respectively. According to the results, the 10 popular global hotel amenities are: 1. Free Wi-Fi – 30 per cent. 2. Breakfast – 21 per cent. 3. Free parking – 10 per cent. 4. Swimming pool – eight per cent. 5. Luxury mattress – seven per cent. 6. In room tea/coffee maker – five per cent. 7. On-site restaurant – three per cent.
7. High end linens – three per cent. 7. Hair dryer – three per cent. 10. Room service – two per cent. The survey also revealed mini-bars are the hotel feature voted most disappointing, with nearly a quarter believing this is the top amenity that isn’t worth the hype. This is followed by a turndown service, receiving 13 per cent of the global vote. Brits still seem hooked on a traditional English breakfast, with meats such as bacon and sausages coming in at 46 per cent when looking at food offerings, while only 20 per cent chose the healthier fresh fruit option. Carolina Annand from Hotels.com said: “It is interesting to see how important technology is to hotel guests these days, and with society relying on email, messenger tools and websites to stay connected when abroad, it looks as if more traditional amenities such as the mini bar and room service are falling out of favour with guests." Free Wi-Fi also topped the list of the top 10 most popular UK hotel amenities on 28 per cent, with the UK breakdown showing similar results to the global survey, also naming free breakfasts in second place and free parking in third. Completing the top 10 was an in room tea/coffee maker; swimming pool; on-site restaurant; high end linens; hair dryer; luxury mattress and child care options.
London welcomes a new Princess
This year’s South Tyneside Festival is set to attract more than 120,000 visitors, with organisers announcing an action packed programme of events. Confirmed so far include free concerts by Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro, X Factor winner Joe McElderry (pictured) and pop legend Billy Ocean. A spectacular Summer Parade, celebrating 150 years since the publication of Alice in Wonderland, will also form part of the celebrations, moving through the streets of South Shields on Saturday July 4.
LONDON’S tourism body Visitlondon.com has welcomed the birth of the Royal baby as the capital expects more visitors than ever before this summer. VisitLondon.com is predicting London will welcome nearly 32m international and UK tourists to the city in 2015 – 2.7m more than the 29.1m visitors in 2013. The year of Prince George’s birth, 2013, was a recordbreaking year for tourism, with London welcoming almost 17 million international visits. Gordon Innes, chief executive of London and Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional company which runs VisitLondon.com, said: “While it’s impossible to quantify the effect the birth of a new royal baby will have on the number of tourists visiting London, it’s clear that London’s tourism is going from strength the strength, and its royal connections and attractions are key drivers that attract people from the UK and abroad to the capital.” To mark the arrival of the newest member of the royal family, many London hotels, restaurants and attractions are celebrating with regal themed afternoon teas, packages and special offers.