More Bits & Pieces from AH&LA 2010 Lodging Survey

Last week I had an opportunity to read through the American Hotel & Lodging Association's 2010 Lodging Survey. If you have not read my two articles based on the survey, please do so. (Click here for article. Click here for my weekly column.) An incredible amount of work was put into the survey as almost 49,000 lodging properties were contacted. More than 8,500 properties responded. That is a pretty healthy response rate. I already hit the high points of the survey in my previous articles but there were a few things I missed--survey discoveries that provide an extra glimpse of where the industry is headed when it comes to sustainability.

For example, 62 percent of hotels now offer flat screen TVs in the guestroom. That is up from just 12 percent in 2006 and 43 percent in 2008. Flat screen TVs use more energy than those TVs they are replacing and their purchase creates an electronics disposal challenge (see related article) as the old TVs must be disposed of somewhere. Also according to the survey, 25 percent of hotel guestrooms now include air purifiers, up from 12 percent in 2008. Assuming the number is accurate, it certainly indicates our industry is beginning to recognize the challenges that indoor air pollution creates, especially for those with allergy and chemical sensitivities. Fewer hotels are apparently including a mini-refrigerator in the guestroom. In 2008 a total of 82 percent reported offering them in guestrooms; this year that number dropped to 72 percent. If there are indeed fewer refrigerators running in guestrooms, that is good news for the environment.

The number of properties with water saving programs jumped from 46 percent in 2008 to 69 percent this year. Those hotels in the upper upscale segment are most likely to have these types of programs (85 percent). Good news for the obesity crisis in our country: 83 percent of respondents reported offering an exercise room or fitness facility, up from 63 percent in 2004. Fewer hotels (68 percent in 2010) are delivering free newspapers to guestrooms (83 percent in 2006). That is good news for the environment as fewer trees need to be harvested and less waste needs to be dealt with.

AH&LA members can download a copy of the 2010 Lodging Survey via the Members Only section of the AH&LA website, www.ahla.com. Individual data points are available for sale from the AH&LA Information Center at (888) 743-2515.