Do Indian travellers tip at hotel? Here`s an answer

Mumbai: Around 96 per cent Indian travellers give tips at a hotel, more so because of the room service and good housekeeping, a recent survey has found.

"About 96 per cent Indians usually tip at a hotel, 79 per cent tip because of the room service and 51 per cent tip after being impressed by the housekeeping," according to '2016 Hotel Etiquette Report' by full service online travel company Expedia.

About 39 per cent Indians tip the porter at the hotel whereas 24 per cent tip the valet, it found.

The survey, which is an analysis of behaviour and preferences of Indians while booking hotels, was conducted online in August by GFK Custom Research, North America, among 1,014 randomly selected adults, both men and women, who have stayed overnight in a hotel in the past two years.

When it comes to facilities, 75 per cent Indians want in-room features like Jacuzzi, tub or balcony, it said.

Location and price are the most critical for 96 per cent Indians and for 95 per cent family friends, food, beverages, room size is a major consideration, it said.

Things like complimentary Wi-Fi (93 per cent), reviews (89 per cent) and hotel brands (86 per cent) are also major attracting factors for Indians, it added.

"The survey highlights some interesting facts about preferences of Indian travellers while booking a hotel. According to the survey, the most preferred medium of booking a hotel amongst 35 per cent is a desktop or laptop followed by mobile app on smart phone while 14 per cent travellers book through mobile web using smart phone," Expedia Marketing Head, in India, Manmeet Ahluwalia said.

"It is interesting to note that 89 per cent Indians consider hotel reviews as very important while choosing a hotel," Ahluwalia added.

He said as Indian travellers are evolving, 77 per cent consider the ability to earn and redeem reward points on their bookings as important.

Indians prefer switching their rooms at hotels if the washrooms are unclean (51 per cent), displeasing smell (48 per cent), dirty beds (48 per cent) and uncomfortable beds (41 per cent), the survey found.

Noisy neighbours (30 per cent) and close to elevators (19 per cent) also makes Indians switch their rooms, it added.

As per the survey, most India travellers are annoyed by loud noisemakers nearby (50 per cent), the hallway hell noisemakers (48 per cent), inattentive parents those who let their children misbehave (47 per cent) and complainers (47 per cent).