More Americans Likely to Stay at Hotels This Year

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:45 AM ET, Tue May 23, 2023

A new study found that most Americans are more likely to stay in a hotel and take vacation trips this summer than in the summer of 2022.

According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), data from the new national Hotel Booking Index survey found that American adults are more likely to stay in a hotel (56 percent), take more frequent (55 percent) and longer (52 percent) leisure trips than last year.

Travelers are hitting the road for summer vacation, with 54 percent of respondents saying they were planning a trip in the next three months. In addition, 51 percent said they are likely to travel overnight for leisure during the same period, compared to 36 percent in December 2022/January 2023.

Hotels remain the most popular lodging choice for those planning to travel overnight for the upcoming holidays, including Columbus Day (47 percent), Veterans Day (46 percent), Memorial Day (44 percent), Labor Day (43 percent), Father’s Day (42 percent) and Independence Day (40 percent).

“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,” AHLA President Chip Rogers said.

While leisure travel continues to thrive, the rise of bleisure travel has helped people extend work trips for leisure purposes, with 56 percent of Americans saying they had done so in the last year.

Hotels are the top lodging choice among those planning to travel for business (77 percent), while 75 percent of business travelers whose jobs involve traveling said they are likely to do so in the next three months, compared to 53 percent in the last survey.

“It’s also encouraging to hear most business travelers report that their employers have either returned to the pre-pandemic normal or increased amounts of business travel,” Rogers continued.

Business travelers also indicated that nearly 70 percent of their employers have either returned to the pre-pandemic normal or increased business travel. Now, 49 percent said the average length of business trips is the same as before the pandemic, while another 22 percent revealed it’s more than before.

In addition, 46 percent of business travelers said the share of employees expected or encouraged to travel for work is now the same as before the pandemic, while another 24 percent revealed it’s more than before.

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