What do travelling Brits really want?

The Ramada Hotel Report 2007 has unearthed the idiosyncratic whims of hotel customers from the United Kingdom, Germany, China and the United States in its latest annual international survey including the fact that a cup of tea and a nice hot bath top the wish list of British travellers.

Over three quarters of those surveyed by Phoenix Marketing International of Rhinebeck, N.Y., (77 percent) stated that tea- and coffee-making facilities are the most desired provision in a hotel room (compared with 49 percent of Germans), along with a bathtub (66 percent compared with 49 percent of Germans and 25 percent of Chinese respondents).

Furthermore, British respondents made it clear that they like their drinks. More travellers from the United Kingdom than any other country said they request a hotel bar.

In good news for the anti-smoking lobby, U.K. travellers indicated they request a non-smoking room 65 percent of the time, compared with 55 percent of Germans and 26 percent of Chinese. U.K. travellers also appeared to be the most concerned with their appearance. Thirty-five percent of them said they require an in-room ironing board compared with 13 percent of German respondents.

While the British fancy themselves as increasingly health conscious, they requested a gym the least number of times out travellers from all of the other countries surveyed. When it comes to business travel, just 16 percent of Brits stated they liked to travel on business compared with 53 percent of Germans.

British travellers expressed a flair for adventure. Seventy-seven percent of U.K. travellers said they like travelling to “new and exciting destinations” compared with 48 percent of Germans.

The report highlights cultural differences regarding hotel requirements. More Germans requested a whirlpool whilst 80 percent of Chinese customers deemed complimentary slippers to be their number-one requirement in a hotel room.

Sean Worker, Wyndham Hotel Group International senior vice president and managing director, international operations, who commissioned the survey said, “As part of our ‘Ramada Leave The Rest To Us’ campaign we conducted the international survey to unearth exactly what our international customers want from their hotel stays. As a direct result of the findings we will be tailoring our services directly to our guests’ cultural needs and Ramada customers will be able to enjoy their stay knowing that the rest really can be left to us.”

Ramada hotels are located in the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, United States, Canada, Costa Rica ,Mexico, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, New Caledonia and Australia.

Many properties in this mid- to upper-midscale brand features complimentary breakfast, an in-room, spa-inspired amenity package and high-speed Internet access.

Reservations and information are available by visiting Ramada.com.