Travelers are ready to pack their bags and head out on trips, but not before checking the accommodations’ hygiene and safety measures. Globally, “Daily Room Disinfection” followed by “Daily Disinfection (of general areas)” are the most important hygiene measures travelers expect to be implemented by hotels and other accommodation providers. Other measures in the top five include “Providing Hygiene Standard Listings”, “Providing Personal Hygiene Kit (masks, gloves, etc.)” and “Hygiene Certification from the Government”, according to research from digital travel platform, Agoda, as it launches HygienePlus, a new verification feature that shows travelers the health and hygiene measures taken by accommodation providers on its travel platform. As travel resumes, HygienePlus gives travelers the added assurance of identifying hotels or homes that meet a checklist of standardized measures.
For travelers from South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, “Daily Room Disinfection” tops the priority list, while travelers from Taiwan, USA, Thailand, Australia and Saudi Arabia prioritise “Daily Disinfection (of general areas)” as the most important measure to get them booking again. Younger travelers in the 18 to 24 years old category are more inclined to prioritise “Daily Room Disinfection”, while “Daily Disinfection (of general areas)” are the most important measure for global respondents in the 35 to 44 years old age group.
“Hygiene Standard Listings” is a priority for Thai and Taiwanese travelers, and the most important hygiene measure for travelers aged 18 to 24 years old globally. Hotels that provide “personal hygiene kits (masks and gloves, etc).” are valued most by Indonesians, Saudi Arabians and Vietnamese travelers. Bucking the global trend, only Indonesians value “Hygiene Certification from Government” as one of the top three measures to start traveling again.
“People are raring to travel again but need the reassurance that hygiene measures at their destination are rigorous. Hoteliers and accommodation providers need to regain the confidence of travelers and have been working hard to implement safety measures to do so. HygienePlus quickly and easily identify hotels that are ensuring a safe and hygienic environment. Of course, on Agoda, guests can also check peer reviews on cleanliness of facilities to further confirm their decisions”, says Omri Morgenstern, Chief Operating Officer, Agoda.
Agoda HygienePlus’ feature includes an extensive checklist is based off international healthcare standards that hotels work towards. These include staff training in safety protocols, contactless check-in/out, temperature checks for staff and guests, staff wearing face covers, protective screens in common areas, daily disinfection at property and room level, provision of face masks, sterilizing equipment and hand sanitizer for guests, safe dining set up and signs to ensure physical distancing.
Global
- “Daily Room Disinfection” is the first most important measure of the hotel room.
- “Daily Disinfection” of the general property is the second most important measure.
- “Providing Hygiene Standard Listings” and “Personal Hygiene Kits (masks, gloves, etc.)” are on par and comes in joint as the third most important measure for travelers to feel confident taking a trip again.
Thailand
- In line with global results, “Daily Room Disinfection”, “Daily Disinfection (of general areas)” and “Providing Hygiene Standard Listings” are amongst the most important measures for Thais.
- Of all the countries, Thais, are most likely to rank “Providing Hygiene Standard Listings” as a more important measure.
