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Distribution: OTAs dominate, but direct bookings are gaining ground
Online booking platforms remain essential: 70% of respondents use them to search for hotels and 66% to make reservations, a proportion unchanged since 2017.
Nevertheless, direct bookings have increased significantly, rising from 30% in 2017 to 42% in 2026. The two channels are not mutually exclusive, with some travellers comparing properties on booking platforms before reserving directly.
Location remains the leading selection criterion (74%), ahead of price (54%) and online reputation (44%). By contrast, hotel star ratings influence the choice of only 8% of respondents.
Notably, artificial intelligence and social media are each used by just 5% of respondents when searching for a hotel.
Chart 1 — Hotel selection criteria
Chart 2 — Direct bookings and OTAs
Human interaction remains the preference for most guests
Despite the development of automated procedures, 58% of guests prefer to be welcomed by a receptionist. Only 14% exclusively favour a mobile application or self-service kiosk.
Unexpected problems on arrival are the leading source of frustration (22%), while the quality of the welcome is the most frequently mentioned spontaneous reason for satisfaction (28%).
The study therefore underlines that digitalisation can simplify formalities but does not necessarily replace human interaction.
In guestrooms, the fundamentals matter more than innovation
Cleanliness remains the most frequently mentioned spontaneous requirement (60%), followed by bedding (49%) and bathroom quality (23%).
More than 90% of respondents attach importance to essential amenities such as Wi-Fi, electrical sockets near the bed, effective blackout facilities and air conditioning.
Another finding for architects and investors: 68% of guests dislike bathrooms that open directly onto the bedroom. As for bathtubs, only 11% consider them important or very important.
Chart 3 — Guestroom priorities
Breakfast and spas: contrasting expectations
Breakfast is always taken at the hotel by 59% of respondents, compared with 63% in 2022. Price is the main deterrent for 38% of guests who do not consistently choose the hotel breakfast option.
Interest in local and regional products is growing, with 60% of respondents now attaching great importance to them, compared with 35% in 2022.
By contrast, the importance of a spa remains closely linked to hotel positioning: 82% of respondents consider it important or essential in upscale hotels, compared with 18% in the midscale segment.
Finally, 68% of guests are receptive to towels not being replaced daily, but only 48% approve of rooms not being cleaned every day.
LTH Analysis | Invest in the fundamentals before expanding services
This study encourages hotel executives and investors to reassess their operational priorities and capital expenditure decisions.
Technology, distinctive amenities and new service concepts cannot compensate for shortcomings in the fundamentals: cleanliness, bedding, quality of welcome and ease of booking.
It also highlights two potential performance drivers: the growth of direct bookings, which can help optimise distribution costs, and the commercial positioning of breakfast, where pricing appears to constrain guest uptake.
Finally, the considerable differences in expectations between hotel categories are a reminder that an amenity or service creates value only when it genuinely matches the property’s positioning and target clientele.
The challenge, therefore, is not necessarily to offer more, but to invest more effectively in the factors that genuinely influence guests’ choices and satisfaction.
Methodology: Qualitative and quantitative face-to-face survey conducted by Coach Omnium in February and March 2026 among 603 French (74%) and international (26%) guests who stay in hotels in France at least once a year. Historical comparisons are drawn from the consultancy’s previous studies. As some questions allowed multiple responses, percentages do not necessarily total 100%. Source: Décryptage des attentes des clientèles hôtelières, Coach Omnium, 2026.
