The travel industry may be suffering, but nearly three quarters of the population have stayed in a hotel room over the past 12 months, according to a recent eBrain
Market Research Online Poll.
“The economy may be negatively affecting business travel, but a vast majority of Americans have stayed in a hotel in the past year, largely for personal reasons,” said Tim Herbert, Director of Research for eBrain. “And people are definitely multitasking when it comes to travel, 26% of our respondents said they combined work and leisure during hotel stays in the past year.” Men were more likely than women to combine the two and as the respondents` annual income rises, so does the likelihood of mixing business with pleasure. Only 8% of respondents said business or work was the primary reason for a hotel stay in the last 12 months.

People are also more likely than not to share a hotel room as only 20% said they stayed solo on their last trip. Americans with an annual income of $75,000 or higher take more business trips, are more likely to pair personal and business stays and are most likely to stay in a large hotel chain. Marriott enjoys the highest degree of loyalty among hotel chains from this demographic with 15% saying they stayed at a Marriott hotel the last time they traveled. Holiday Inn was the overall favorite, with 10% of all respondents claiming to have stayed there on their most recent trip. “But regardless of brand loyalty, location was the primary reason to choose a hotel for 44% of those surveyed,” said Herbert.

The eBrain Online Poll was fielded via a web-based survey to a national sample of 1,000 U.S. households during the week of August 26, 2002. The results are representative of the online population. The eBrain Online Poll is a multi-client survey that provides an inexpensive, quick means to gauge consumers` opinions.

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