Mature travellers have their say about Australian hotels
There's room for improvement in Australian hotels when it comes to the needs of mature travellers, according to a University of Queensland Gatton College study.
For his research masters, Hospitality Tourism and Property Management Department lecturer Hein Ruys surveyed Australians aged 50 and over about their interactions with accommodation facilities such as hotels and motels.
Published in the Autumn 1998 edition of The Australian Journal of Hospitality Management, the study is believed to be one of the most comprehensive surveys of the needs of older tourists ever conducted in Australia.
While most respondents were generally pleased with facilities and services, concerns
existed in some areas, Mr Ruys said.
"Many felt tourism in general is still geared towards younger people especially couples. Luxury is less important than comfort and mature domestic travellers tend to use hotels and motels in the mid-price range as not many people could afford to stay in five-star hotels," he said.
"Considering 70 percent of tourists in Australia are domestic tourists and we have an
ageing population, hoteliers would be wise to take into account the needs of older people when building or remodelling premises."
A major concern was the surcharge on single occupancy of rooms when older tourists were part of tour parties, Mr Ruys said. "Many felt this unfairly discriminated against mature travellers who may be without partners for whatever reason," he said. On the other hand, he said he understood why hotels imposed the surcharge.
Other concerns centred around the need for improved safety and security measures in hotels such as deadlocks and alarms, handlebars in bathrooms and toilets and anti-slip bathmats, he said.
"Many people reported feeling unsafe when showering in a bathtub and preferred stand-alone showers," Mr Ruys said.
He said other concerns included noise levels and the need for smaller-portioned evening meals served earlier.
"Older people also prefer lever taps and door handles as these are easier to open," he said.
However, he said older people were adamant they did not want to be "ghettoised" into special hotels catering for their needs but rather liked being around people of all ages especially children.
"Older travellers should not be treated separately. They want to be treated with respect and not patronised," he said.
Mr Ruys, who has a background in international hotel management, recently completed a study on the use of the Internet in the Queensland hotel industry for the Queensland Hotel, Motel and Accommodation Association and another, establishing benchmarks for selected hotels, for the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering.
Funded by an $18,000 grant from the Senior Card Tourism Scheme, Mr Ruys and Dr Sherrie Wei, from the School of Natural and Rural Systems Management, recently began a study establishing whether gaps exist between the expectations of senior travellers and those of the tourism services suppliers.
For more information, contact Mr Ruys (telephone 07 54601381).
