This summer, most business travelers are more likely than last year to stay in a hotel and take vacation trips, according to a new national survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and conducted by Morning Consult.
Most adults report being more likely than they were in 2022 to stay in a hotel (56 percent) and take more frequent (55 percent) and longer (52 percent) leisure or vacation trips, the survey says.
According to respondents, hotels are the top lodging choice among those planning to travel for business (77 percent) and leisure (54 percent) in the next three months. In addition, 75 percent of business travelers whose jobs involve traveling plan to do so in the next three months, compared to 53 percent of those surveyed in December and January. Around half of adults are likely to travel overnight for leisure in the next three months, compared to 36 percent at the beginning of the year.
Survey responses from business travelers indicate that nearly 70 percent of their employers have either returned to the pre-pandemic normal or increased business travel.
Half of business travelers say the average length of business trips is now the same as before the pandemic, while another 22 percent say it’s more than before.
Almost half of business travelers (47 percent) say the amount of spending their employer will cover on business trips is now the same as before the pandemic, while another 25 percent say it’s more than before.
Lastly, 46 percent of business travelers say the share of employees expected or encouraged to travel for work is now the same as before the pandemic, and another 24 percent say it’s more than before.
Based on the survey results, AHLA’s Hotel Booking Index score for the next three months is 7.8/10, or very good. The Hotel Booking Index is a composite score gauging the short-term outlook for the hotel industry. The 10-point score is based on a weighted average of survey respondents’ travel likelihood in the next three months (50 percent), self-reported household financial security (30 percent), and a preference to stay in hotels for travel (20 percent).
The Hotel Booking Index survey of more than 4,100 adults was conducted from April 28 to May 3, 2023. Other key findings include that 86 percent of business travelers are interested in “bleisure” travel, with 56 percent indicating they have extended a work trip for leisure purposes in the last year. Higher earners, urban adults, and those aged 35 to 44 are most likely interested in extending a business trip by a day or two for leisure.
More than 53 percent of adults are interested in being a “digital nomad,” including 26 percent who are very interested. Digital nomads work remotely, full-time or part-time, while traveling to new places.
“Americans are planning more hotel stays and vacations this summer than they did in the summer of 2022, and that is great news for the lodging industry and its employees,” says AHLA president & CEO Chip Rogers. “It’s also encouraging to hear most business travelers report that their employers have either returned to the pre-pandemic normal or increased business travel. Our industry is getting stronger, but to keep growing we need to hire more than 100,000 people around the country. Fortunately, with average hotel wages at near-record levels, better benefits than ever before, and unprecedented opportunity to move up the ranks, there’s never been a better time to start a hotel career.”
