January 2006

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Three million Britons have damaged property when visiting UK hotels

BULLISH BEHAVIOUR FROM THE UK’S PAYING GUESTS
Three million Britons have damaged property when visiting hotels, research by MORE TH>N Business reveals.

- Hotel guests have broken 336,000 beds and 80% have taken something as a memento of their stay.
- Two extremes of hotel guests: ‘butterflies’ and ‘bulls’.
- £5 million worth of stolen bathrobes have gone missing from UK hotel rooms.

Britain’s hotel owners should be on high alert to identify and safeguard themselves against a specific breed of guests, warns a study by small business insurer MORE TH>N. The research looks at the behaviour and etiquette of the UK public when staying at guesthouses or hotels and shows that once UK guests have checked into a hotel their respect for property goes out of the window.
Over three million visitors admit to having damaged hotel property in the last five years: 336,000 hotel beds have been broken by guests, 672,000 electrical items (e.g. kettles, hairdryers and similar items) have been broken or damaged, and 336,000 TV sets have gone on the blink.
These figures are not surprising given that a sixth of all visitors admit to being less careful of the fixtures and fittings in a hotel room than those they encounter in a private home – these people have been categorised by MORE TH>N Business as bulls.
Once they have unpacked, the UK hotel-goers not only become a nation of ‘Calamity Janes’, they also admit to having an attack of ’sticky fingers’. Over 80% of respondents that have stayed in a hotel in the last five years believe it’s OK to take something from their bedroom as a memento of their stay .
£5 million worth of stolen bathrobes have been taken by UK guests before checking out. However, there is a clear consensus on which items are considered ‘fair game’. Most guests are in agreement that fixtures and fittings such as lamps, light bulbs and electrical appliances are strictly off limits, whereas it’s game on for stationery , toiletries and towels .
Rachel Cotton, Small Business Manager at MORE TH>N, said: “The research has allowed us to identify two ends of the guest spectrum, which we have dubbed ‘butterflies’ and ‘bulls’.
“Butterflies flutter in and out leaving little or no evidence of their stay, except when having a polite chat with members of staff. ‘Bulls’ admit to being less careful with the fixtures and fittings and more often than not their lack of respect leads to breakages.”
Two categories of hotel guests:
Bulls (16% of British population) Butterflies (8% of British population)
32% would not report damage to a member of staff at all 80% of butterflies tidy up and throw away their rubbish before leaving
89% of 18-29 year olds believe that it is acceptable to take a memento from a hotel bedroom 45% of butterflies even go as far as making their own bed
Bulls are responsible for damaging over 53,700 hotel doors in the last five years If a butterfly damages hotel property they alert a member of staff immediately

The ‘butterfly’ is more considerate towards the hotel environment than the average guest – admitting to being more careful when staying in a hotel than they would be at home. Butterflies are more likely to be female, over the age of 50 and are typically from the North of England (40%).
‘Bulls’ are prepared to exact revenge should a hotel stay not meet their expectations. 15% of bulls would withhold payment, 16% would take something from the room and 2% would even indulge in ‘constructive vandalism’.
Rachel Cotton continued: “This research points at a serious issue for small hotel owners and managers up and down the country. Even a limited amount of damage can have considerable consequences for a small hotel or guest house – either in the shape of business disruption or added stress and time constraints. Having the adequate insurance to limit disruption and costs is therefore paramount.”
These sentiments are echoed by Chris Cheal who owns the Airedale Guest House in Blackpool: “We only have five rooms, so it is important that each room is working at optimum level. We can’t afford to have even one room put out of action. At the Airedale we have been very fortunate with our guests, however I know that other hotels in the area have not been so lucky.
“To safeguard against potential damage, we are particularly vigilant on the type of guest that we book in and will not host stag or hen parties. However for example, it’s impossible to predict with any certainty who will be good or bad guests.”
To help ease the pressures faced by small hoteliers, MORE TH>N has launched a tailored hotels insurance package. Customers can choose to cover their buildings and contents, including cover for malicious damage, and insure against business interruption to the value of £500,000. The MORE TH>N Hotel policy provides a 24-hour emergency claims helpline which is available 365 days a year. In addition, MORE TH>N’s cover includes access to FREE professional help, for example Legal Professionals and Stress Counsellors.
For more information on MORE TH>N’s small hotel policy, please call 0800 072 0077 or log onto www.morethanbusiness.com.
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