世論 What Japan Thinks

MyVoice recently took a look at how Japanese use hotels and other lodgings, in particular what criteria they use for selecting them.

Demographics

Over the first five days of August 2009 13,801 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 33% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 20% aged fifty or older.

The last hotel I stayed in was the Westin Awaji, which is a very nice hotel in a great location. One of the criteria we used was me having a point card, and another was being a western-style managed hotel, as the previous night we’d stayed in a Japanese-managed hotel. One big difference was that the Westin had a whole non-smoking floor, the other one had just half a dozen rooms at the far end of one corridor that still had a lingering hint of tobacco clinging to the walls. However, the Westin was disappointing for food, especially the breakfast was not the full buffet one expects from their chains.

Research results

Q1: About how often do you stay in hotels for reasons other than business? (Sample size=13,801)

Once a year or less	43.6%
Twice or thrice a year	33.4%
Four or five times a year	8.0%
Six to eleven times a year	2.8%
Twelve or more times a year	1.4%
Don’t take overnight holidays	10.7%

Q2: When choosing where to stay, what points are important? (Sample size=hotel stayers, multiple answer)

Room rate	84.6%
Food	53.1%
Onsen, bathing facilities	47.7%
Convenience of access	46.3%
Room cleanliness	41.1%
Stay plan	39.5%
Japanese or Western style rooms	26.5%
Room equipment, amenities	26.3%
Evaluation, popularity	24.3%
Size of room	23.6%
Number of nearby sightseeing spots, leisure facilities, etc	23.0%
Atmosphere	20.7%
View	20.2%
Ancillary facilities, services, etc	20.1%
Check-in, check-out times	19.3%
Customer service	18.4%
Simple booking procedures	12.7%
Whether children, pets are welcome	12.6%
External appearance	7.5%
Security	5.7%
Well-known	4.5%
Number of rooms, open period	3.7%
Brand, formality	3.4%
Other	2.1%
No answer	0.1%

Q3: When choosing where to stay, from where do you gather information? (Sample size=hotel stayers, multiple answer)

Internet travel information site, booking service	78.6%
Guidebook, magazine	37.7%
Lodgings web site	37.5%
Personal word of mouth site, blog, travelogue, etc	32.6%
Travel agent’s leaflet, catalogue, pamphlet	24.9%
Travel agent’s web site	16.6%
Friends, family	15.7%
Television	12.4%
Other internet site	12.1%
Town information magazine, free paper	10.9%
Tourist information office	9.2%
Direct contact with lodgings	7.2%
Newspaper	6.6%
Email magazine	3.8%
Advertisement folded into newspaper	3.6%
In-train advertisement	1.3%
Other	0.9%
Don’t gather any particular information	1.9%
No answer	0.3%

Q4: For what reasons did you travel on your most recent trip? (Sample size=hotel stayers, multiple answer)

Sightseeing	60.6%
Family travel, get-together	36.3%
Hot springs	31.9%
Relaxation, recover from fatigue, laze around	19.1%
Get-together with friends, partner	14.3%
Visit funfair, theme park, other leisure facilities	14.1%
Car touring	10.9%
Commune with nature	10.2%
Trying out food at various restuarants	10.0%
Anniversary	5.3%
Marine sports, water sports	4.2%
Festival, other event	4.2%
Office social trip	3.1%
Hiking, mountaineering, etc	2.4%
Other	6.3%
No particular objective	1.4%
No answer	0.4%

Q5: Which kinds of lodgings did you stay on your most recent trip? (Sample size=hotel stayers, multiple answer)

Ordinary hotel	45.8%
Ryokan, traditional Japanese inn	36.9%
Business hotel	25.3%
Lodgings at private home	5.9%
Pension	5.4%
Local government-owned inn	4.6%
Rental cottage, condominium	2.6%
Other	2.9%
No answer	1.2%

Q6: What did you feel dissatisfied about regarding the lodgings you stayed in on your most recent trip? (Sample size=hotel stayers, multiple answer)

Food	13.5%
Room cleanliness	12.5%
Onsen, bathing facilities	11.2%
Size of room	9.3%
Room rate	9.0%
Room equipment, amenities	7.9%
Convenience of access	6.6%
Ancillary facilities, services, etc	6.2%
Customer service	6.0%
View	5.9%
Atmosphere	3.0%
Number of nearby sightseeing spots, leisure facilities, etc	2.5%
Stay plan	2.4%
Check-in, check-out times	2.1%
Japanese or Western style rooms	2.1%
External appearance	1.8%
Whether children, pets are welcome	1.2%
Security	1.0%
Evaluation, popularity	0.8%
Number of rooms, open period	0.7%
Simple booking procedures	0.6%
Brand, formality	0.4%
Well-known	0.4%
Other	2.8%
No particular dissatisfactions	47.8%
No answer	0.5%