Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 - (Page 14)

14 Travel Trends IN THE details Consumers like green Gender differences Willingness to pay Businesses’ responsibility H&MM September 15, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Turning green practices into more green ccording to the 2008 National Travel Monitor, almost nine out of 10 American adults profess to be “environmentally conscious.” More than eight in 10 Americans who claim to be green mention activities such as turning off lights and composting. Not surprisingly, however, there are signiﬁcant gender differences in the A By Peter C. Yesawich H&MM Columnist behaviors exhibited by men versus women, with the latter generally more committed to environmentally safe practices. The question for most hoteliers, however, is whether or not concern about the environment represents a market opportunity. The answer is yes, although primarily with respect to market share, not incremental rates. Specially, four out of 10 leisure travelers “probably/deﬁnitely” would select an environmentally friendly travel supplier if they knew about its commitment to the environment (not surprisingly, signiﬁcantly more women than men agree with this statement). And although nearly onehalf state they’re willing to pay higher fares/rates for the services Green behaviors Results given as a percentage Environmentally conscious Total: 85 Men: 83 Women: 87* Turn off the lights when leaving the room Total: 87 Men: 83 Women: 90* Regulate air conditioning/ heating when not at home Total: 85 Men: 80 Women: 89* Recycle and/or compost trash Total: 82 Men: 79 Women: 84* Keep showers short Total: 73 Men: 66 Women: 78* Buy environmentally safe household products, even if they cost more Total: 57 Men: 53 Women: 60* Use public transportation whenever possible Total: 33 Men: 31 Women: 35* Car pool “We work with many of the largest ATM deployers in the country and have found that in terms of service levels, operational controls, and integrity of the operators that ATM Systems is in the very upper echelon of all of the ATM companies in the country.” --Cash Connect, a division of WSFS Bank John Clatworthy, VP of Sales & Marketing Total: 31 Men: 25 Women: 36* Belong to environmental organizations Total: 16 Men: 14 Women: 18* Drive a hybrid car Total: 5 Men: 6 Women: 4* * Denotes statistically signiﬁcant difference from men. Source: Ypartnership “I am a loyal client as a result of your professionalism and reaction time to my needs. Your decision to replace the old ATM was much appreciated. The new ATM is perfect.” --Radisson Hotel Sacramento George LaPointe, Director of Operations “Our front desk employees continually share with me the positive feedback they have received from our guests. Based on these comments, it’s clear that the ATM is fulfilling a guest service need at our hotel and has proven to be a real convenience for our guests.” --Radisson Hotel Boston Jack Eagan, Controller provided by such suppliers, the majority (53 percent) state they would not. Among those willing to pay more, the overwhelming majority (six in 10) report they would pay only up to 9 percent more. The conclusion is clear: A lodging property or brand’s commitment to and communication of environmental responsibility may be sufﬁcient to shift market share. Consumers’ reluctance to pay more to support green causes suggests, however, that they view the demonstration of this responsibility as an obligation of businesses that should, arguably, be good stewards of the environment anyway. For further results from the Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2008 National Travel Monitor, visit www.ypartnership.com. hmm@questex.com Peter Yesawich is chairman and CEO of Ypartnership. He can be reached at Peter.Yesawich@ypartnership.com. ATM Systems CIRCLE NO. 102 http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.atmsystems.com http://www.ypartnership.com http://www.atmsystems.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008 Contents Microtel, Hawthorn Settle in at Wyndham Is it Black or Red for Green Hotels? New City on the Strip When in Doubt, Purchase some Seashells Legal FAQ Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic On Finance Travel Trends Franchise Law Guest Column Events Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Top Hotel Companies Survey Awards Lending Requires Knowledge, Preparation Casegoods Minibars Historian to Keynote Leadership Forum at IH/M&RS Fitness Equipment The Lodging Conference Preview Accent Lighting Awards Vacuums Supplier News Transactions People Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - September 15, 2008

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