New research from Expedia.com.auTM, operated by Expedia, Inc., the world's largest online travel company, has found that Generation Y Aussies are most likely to complain in order to land themselves a free upgrade on a flight or in a hotel.
The survey*, conducted among 1,000 Australians, revealed that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of Australians aged between 18-24 were willing to complain about nearby guests/passengers, the food, or quality of service to score a flight or hotel upgrade, well above the national average of 16 per cent.
As part of their bag of freewheeling tricks, four per cent of Gen Ys also admit to posing as business travellers to secure a free upgrade.
Not all Australians are in favour of Gen Ys' cheeky travel tactics. According to the Expedia poll, most opt for a more conservative approach and 'up-star' their travels of their own accord, taking advantage of the many great hotel deals on offer to book a class of hotel that would normally be out of their budget. Nearly half of all Aussies (44 per cent) say they book a hotel with the highest star rating their budget will allow, compared to only 15 per cent who pocket the savings and stick to their usual standard of hotel.
The Expedia.com.au survey also found that Aussie men are the chief 'up-starrers' when travelling with their partners. More than one in ten (11%) of men admit they would 'up-star' in order to impress or spoil their partner, while just one in twenty women will spend that little bit extra to indulge their sweetheart. A further 43% of Aussie males were willing to 'up-star' to ensure there was a better pool and spa compared to just 30% of women.
Louise Crompton, marketing manager of Expedia.com.au, said, "'Up-starring' is a great option for travellers looking to treat themselves whilst on holiday. Nowadays, with so many hotel deals on offer and airlines continuing to discount fares, you can take the savings and 'up-star' to a higher class hotel for the same price as an undiscounted lower-star hotel."
"Spending just a little time researching and considering your options, and using Expedia's dynamic packaging technology and other easy-to-use online tools like our Deal Hunter can provide travellers excellent value for money for a little more luxury. With dynamic packaging you can enjoy the benefits of 'up-starring' by mixing and matching various airline and hotel options for even greater savings", said Ms Crompton.
*About the survey
Pureprofile fielded the online survey on behalf of Expedia.com.au™ and Expedia.co.nz between the 1st and 4th of March 2010 among a nationwide cross-section of 1000 adults aged 18+ in Australia. The data was weighted to be representative of the total Australian population on the basis of gender, location and age. With probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 per cent certainty that the results for the sample have a sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points.
About Expedia.com.au
Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), the world's leading online travel company, operates Expedia.com.au™ (http://www.expedia.com.au) in Australia. Expedia.com.au helps Australians plan and book their travel by providing a personalised service, the latest technology and a wide selection of holiday packages, cheap flights, hotel deals, car hire, in-destination attractions & activities and travel insurance to suit their travel needs.
Expedia, Expedia.com.au and the Airplane logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the US and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.
