New research from Hilton Australasia has revealed that Australians rank a good night’s sleep as one of the most important elements for an enjoyable experience at a hotel, putting sleep quality top of the agenda when travelling.
This new research, conducted by Lonergan Research* on behalf of Hilton Australasia, found a good night’s sleep so important to our nation that it ranks in the top three requirements of an enjoyable hotel stay.
Getting some decent shut eye was ranked against traditional requirements for an enjoyable hotel stay like location, ambience, hotel service and health and wellness facilities and in a surprising turn was identified as one of the most crucial requirements for travellers.
These findings were commissioned following a recent global survey for Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report, which identified the continuing rise in sleep tourism and how sleep has been ranked a top priority for travellers in 2024.
Key findings from the Hilton sleep research:
- Two in five Australians don’t get enough sleep, with 39% reporting 6 hours or less sleep a night.
- 62% rank a good night’s sleep as one of top three requirements for an enjoyable hotel stay.
- 22% specifically look for blackout curtains and soundproofing when booking a room.
- 20% of Australians request rooms away from elevators, on a high floor or request sleep accessories from reception such as eye masks or earplugs.
- 44% of Australians say they have chosen to stay at a particular hotel due to the quality of their mattresses, bedding and linens.
- 90% of Australians agree that the environment of a hotel room – furnishings, temperature, noise levels – has a large impact on their sleep.
- Over 90% (93%) say not sleeping well can make the next day tough to get through.
- Over two thirds (68%) report bad sleep stresses them out which snowballs into more bad sleep.
Paul Hutton, area vice president and head of Australasia, Hilton said, “Our research has shown us both globally and now here in Australia that sleep has become such a rare commodity for many of us, that we’re consciously investing in our sleep and prioritising it whether at home or travelling.
“Increasingly, we’re seeing that guests are selecting hotels based on the environment of the hotel room, from the soft furnishings to the temperature and noise levels, which we know has a large impact on quality of sleep.
“Our research has found most people have specific bedtime routines and rituals to wind down and elevate their sleep quality. Whether it’s by regulating workout routines, avoiding alcohol, caffeine or devices before bed, taking hot baths or showers, drinking herbal teas or listening to music or white noise, it matters where you stay, and we’re focused on ensuring we deliver an exceptional experience that is reliable and friendly to every guest.” Mr. Hutton said.
To streamline specific requests around sleep, Hilton offers guests the option to check-in via the Hilton Honors app ahead of their stay. This industry-leading technology allows guests to view a floorplan to pre-select their room quickly and easily with specific requirements like choosing a quiet room away from an elevator or on a high floor, and pre-ordering extra pillows from Housekeeping.
Hilton is not only continually testing innovative sleep-enhancing and noise-cancelling solutions, but also ensures it maintains a consistent and high-quality standard across all four brands in Australia. This includes offering premium soundproofing and blackout curtains, as well as ensuring pillows and duvets have a specific size, weight, fiber, and thread count. Every product is evaluated with both industrial lab testing and in-hotel testing and is trialed by existing Hilton hotels in Australia for guest and Team Member feedback prior to roll-out.
