72 pc prefer 'couple-friendly' hotels for short duration stays: Survey

With internet savvy millennials and Gen Z seeking an end to invasive questions while booking their stay, a survey has revealed that more than 72 percent respondents prefer 'couple-friendly' hotels for short duration stays. Over 72 percent respondents picked a couple-friendly hotel for shorter duration stays, be it for 'daycations' (brief duration day stay) or overnight stay, as per the survey by online travel company Goibibo.

It further revealed that more than 46 per cent of the hotel bookings came from couples residing in the same city, whereas about 54 percent were made for hotels located at an outstation destination. The pan-India online survey was commissioned by Goibibo's Consumer Insights among 1,000 respondents (couples in the age group of 22 to 26 years).

Further, the survey found that 50 percent respondents had booked couple-friendly hotels more than five times in the last one year. About one-third of these bookings were made on the day of check-in, it added.

While bookings for couple friendly hotels are on the rise, some of the biggest yet common concerns of bookers include constant judgement and prying behaviour of the hotel staff (39 percent) and sharing personal identity-proofs during check-ins (36 percent). Other aspects that bookers are uncomfortable with include receiving promotional offers or mails from the hotels post the stay (27 percent) and inability to remove the booking from their travel records (25 percent), the survey added.

"This survey shows how hassle-free access to safe spaces and cost-effective comfort is what matters most to young couples looking to book hotels," Goibibo Chief Marketing Officer Sunil Suresh said. Highlighting some of the key parameters considered by couples while making reservations at a couple-friendly hotel, the survey said more than 80 per cent of the respondents shared their comfort in booking hotels that offer 'No Questions Asked' check-ins.

Other decision-making factors include affordability (61 percent), location (55 percent), rating of the hotel (53 percent), privacy (52 percent) and discounts offered (38 percent), it added.