Wyndham Hotel Group Survey: U.S. Travelers Not Shy About Mixing Business with Pleasure

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Published: October 1st, 2012

Over half of U.S. business travelers invite family to join them on business trips; just under half plan to extend trips for leisure.

October 01, 2012 // Franchising.com // PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Business travelers in the U.S. and around the globe aren’t shy about mixing business with pleasure during their travels this year, as they have invited family members along on previous trips and tacked on extra personal time—this according to findings released today by Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with over 7,170 hotels.

Commissioned to better understand the habits of business travelers around the globe, the survey polled just over 4,300 adults who travel for business in key cities throughout the U.S., the U.K., Canada, China and Brazil.

U.S. vs. International Travelers:

• Over half of U.S. business travelers (52 percent) admit to inviting family to join them while away on business, second only to travelers in China, at 67 percent. Least likely to offer up an invite are U.K. travelers, at just 33 percent.
• Extending a business trip to include leisure time is a must among the majority of Chinese business travelers (59 percent), and nearly half (48 percent) of U.S. business travelers. Least inclined to do so are those in the U.K., with 68 percent saying they would rather not.
• Close to a third of U.S. and Canadian travelers (32 percent and 31 percent, respectively) view business trips as an opportunity to explore a new city or area, while Chinese travelers are more likely to view such trips as a chance to experience a higher-end hotel. Brazilian travelers on the other hand, view business travel as an opportunity to indulge on an all expenses paid trip.
• Most bothered by business trips are U.K. travelers, of whom 38 percent say they either do not enjoy them or view them as a sacrifice of personal time and time with the family.

Commonalities Amongst all Travelers:

• Among all business travelers, close to half (46 percent) have extended a trip to include leisure time in the past, while a quarter (25 percent) always include some personal time when traveling for business. 
• A third of all business travelers (33 percent) make it a point to explore the hotel and its amenities when traveling, with 70 percent of those individuals citing the hotel bar and restaurant as the most popular place to go. The fitness center was a close second (60 percent) followed by the hotel spa (50 percent).
• Although the minority, 16 percent of all business travelers say that business trips are only about work and not about personal time.

About Wyndham Hotel Group

Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel company with over 7,170 hotels and approximately 608,300 rooms in 66 countries under the hotel brands: Wyndham® Hotels and Resorts, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inn & Suites® by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham®, TRYP by WyndhamSM, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®. In addition, the company has license agreements to franchise the Planet Hollywood® Hotels, Dream® and Night® brands and provide management services globally.

All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham and TRYP by Wyndham hotels, as well as certain international Ramada, Days Inn and Super 8 hotels, which may be managed by one of the affiliates of Wyndham Hotel Group. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J. Additional information is available at www.wyndhamworldwide.com. For more information about hotel franchising opportunities visit www.whgdevelopment.com.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted by IFOP Asia (www.ifop.com) between 18 to 28 April, 2012. For this research, 5,617 interviews were fielded among nationally representative adults, ages 21 years and older, in the following markets: Brazil, Canada, China, the United Kingdom and the United States. All interviews were conducted online in either English and/or in local languages.

Media Contact:

Rob Myers
Public Relations Manager
Wyndham Hotel Group
22 Sylvan Way
Parsippany, NJ 07054
+1 (973) 753-6590
rob.myers@wyn.com