Photo courtesy of Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
To coincide with the next installment of the Sheraton Selects Spotlight program, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts unveiled the results of a new survey on global wine and travel trends on Wednesday.
Not only does the survey reveal some interesting information all travelers should note, married couples may also want to pay attention.
The study, commissioned by Sheraton and conducted by market research firm StudyLogic, surveyed respondents from the United States, Germany, China, Chile and Argentina. Some of the findings are, well, shocking, to say the least.
One finding: After a long day, 48 percent of respondents said they would rather reach for a glass of wine than a smartphone (15 percent) or…wait for it…their spouse (15 percent).
So, some words of advice for partners looking for some TLC: Stash the wine. Or at least sit next to each other while sipping wine at the hotel restaurant for a little dialogue.
The study also found that wine is the most desirable way for travelers to unwind (57 percent of respondents), beating out the spa (23 percent) and the gym (12 percent).
Another shocking statistic: Respondents would give up their smartphone for a day, or their social media accounts or sex for a week, in exchange for a premium highly rated glass of wine (yes, you heard that right).
Wine also promotes travel (anyone who has seen the movie "Sideways" already knows this). Sixty percent of respondents said they drink the most wine while traveling, 74 percent said they are more likely to try new wines, 54 percent said they are most likely to consider paying for top-shelf wine and 67 percent said they are more likely to spend the most on wine while away from home. All of this information featured in a release was appropriately included in a subsection called "Will Travel for Wine (Will…travel…for…wine…brain…on…autopilot)."
Given the survey results, it's only natural that a hospitality company that makes its living on keeping people happy would include a wine series in its offerings. Sheraton announced the Sheraton Selects Spotlight on Pinot Noir on Wednesday, the fourth installment of the Sheraton Selects Spotlight running series.
As part of the installment, two Pinot Noir offerings are being included in all participating Sheraton Selects menus. Some hotels may also offer Pinot Noir flights and food pairings.
All installments thus far have included a premium upgraded wine menu featuring eight or more Wine Spectator-rated wines. There have also been installments on the Riesling grape, the wines of New Zealand and Champagne.
Offering wines in a guest-friendly, casual way is also an important feature for the program, backed by some other interesting tidbits from the study. Nearly three-fifths of survey respondents (59 percent) said they find it intimidating speaking with a wine expert. Nearly three-fifths of respondents (59 percent) also said they have been embarrassed to request a tasting prior to buying wine at an establishment. Sixty-eight percent said they have avoided ordering wine altogether for the table because they were afraid others might not like it.
Apparently, the Sheraton Selects Spotlight program is paying off for hoteliers, too. Since the rollout of the program, hotels have reported higher RevPOR (revenue per occupied room) and experienced a 20 percent increase in beverage revenue in their lobby bars, year-over-year, according to Sheraton.
Travelers can talk about the program on social media using the hashtag #SocialHour.
Of course, you will have to put down that glass of wine first.
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