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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