Sex, wine and security tapes highlight in Novotel survey
7 January 2010
It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same, with the latest Novotel hotel survey showing that while guests of both sexes are leaving their rooms cleaner and greener, they are still ending up naked in corridors and leaving unusual objects behind in their rooms.
The latest Novotel survey looks behind closed hotel doors, with housekeepers and other hotel staff reporting on the differing travel habits of men and women who stay at the group’s 30 Novotel hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
The 2009 report shows travellers are more environmentally aware and health conscious than they were a decade ago, with guests more likely to reuse towels, request bed linen not be changed and make healthier food choices.
Men are drinking more wine and less beer, while more women are watching adult movies.
The survey showed that guests of both genders are also travelling with fewer bags – one for men and 2.1 bags for women – but more are carrying laptop computers.
Women were ranked as being messier than their male counterparts and are more likely to souvenir items from their rooms. They are also more demanding and have a greater capacity to flood bathrooms.
Shampoos and toiletries remain popularly pilfered items, and considered acceptable by hotels, but extending the ‘shopping spree’ to bathrobes, hairdryers, cushions and even toilet paper is not acceptable.
Comparisons with the results from the original survey in 2000 show that women are now more assertive than they used to be, are more likely to dine alone in hotel restaurants. They are also more likely to be the ones ordering the wine when in a couple and are more requesting more massages from the opposite sex than before.
The increased number of security cameras and a sense of freedom is believed to be a catalyst for the growing number of ‘caught in the act’ videos, with more couples caught canoodling outside their rooms than ever before – and increasingly in front of very obvious security cameras. Locations of choice include pools, spas, saunas, hallways, stairwells, bars and even in storeroom cupboards. Previous years found one couple getting cosy underneath a grand piano in a darkened bar.
Mobile phone chargers remain the number one item left in rooms, with sex toys and lingerie also popular items picked up by the housekeepers. Other more perplexing items include fake limbs, a snake, a nun’s habit, false teeth, a two-metre hand-carved statue, a riding crop under the pillow, and in one case, a baby, which was quickly reunited with his forgetful parents.
Other highlights:
• Men are more generous tippers and are more likely to be caught naked outside their rooms
• Men are more likely to order the most expensive wine on the list
• Men are more likely to carry laptops than women
• Women are more likely to use the Novotel’s MAC webcorner, which provides free internet access for guests
• Steak remains the number one choice for men, but women have moved on from the previous favourite of Caesar Salad, to fish or seafood dishes
• While women dining alone in hotel restaurants has increased in recent years, they are still outnumbered by their male counterparts