Four out of five travelers have experienced discomfort due to exposure to cigarette or marijuana smoke, perceived chemicals and other pernicious odors during their stay, according to a new report from FreshAir Sensor.
More than 90 percent of respondents said they saw value in the ability to choose a room that hotels can guarantee to have a higher standard of air quality. These trends show a rising number of travelers who value enhanced indoor air quality as an integral feature of the guest experience, and who are willing to pay more to get it.
FreshAir Sensor surveyed more than 200 consumers who frequent hotels regularly, and all but three said taking care of their health and wellness is a significant concern while traveling. A full 84 percent of survey respondents said they have stayed in a non-smoking room with clear signs of smoking on arrival. Roughly the same number of respondents reported that these odors negatively impacted their stay experience.
Other key takeaways from the study:
- 95 percent of respondents said they would prefer to stay in a hotel that allows travelers to guarantee their room has not experienced a smoking event before arrival.
- 56 percent consider hotel guest rooms “safe” and “clean” to stay in after 60 days of being smoke-free.
- More than 60 percent of respondents said they would be willing to pay an extra 3 percent premium on top of their room rate to receive a guarantee that their room has not experienced a smoking event prior to arrival.
“Travelers are becoming more and more conscious of wellness during travel, and FreshAir Sensor’s survey results reflect these trends while showing hotel owners a clear path to increased guest satisfaction and expanded revenue opportunities,” said Will Darrah, Chief Commercial Officer at FreshAir Sensor. “The majority of hotel guests have zero tolerance for irritable odors in the guestroom, particularly cigarette and marijuana smoke. Today, hoteliers have an opportunity to embrace new technology to improve their ability to monitor activity in the hotel guestroom, maintain consistency for the guest experience, and expand revenue opportunities.”
Selling Fresh Air
In response to growing demand for fresh air solutions, FreshAir Sensor recently launched FreshAir Certified, a bookable room attribute that lets hotels leverage air quality as an exclusive option for guests to purchase.
To take advantage of this attribute, hotels can have FreshAir Sensor’s molecular air quality monitoring solutions installed directly in the guestroom to track and certify rooms that are free of common irritants (including odors from unauthorized smoking of tobacco and marijuana, scented sprays and conditions for mold).
Nearly 15,000 hotel rooms enrolled in the FreshAir Certified program within weeks of launch and, according to the company, hoteliers are seeing significant monthly revenue streams of $2,500 to $5,000 per month, per promotion channel.
Early results indicate that industrywide, U.S. hotels have the potential to gain more than $1.5 billion in new ancillary revenue annually through FreshAir Certified.