Hotels in Mind: What Travelers Want

Hotels in Mind are having a good year – and bad – with so much demand afoot and also so many challenges in staffing and resources. So, in its first Choice Privileges State of the American Traveler Survey, a poll of more than 2,000 U.S. adults is shedding new light on Americans’ travel plans and priorities this summer and beyond. 

Hotel Intel

Most Americans want to spend less than $200/night on lodging in hotels: 

• • The majority (78%) typically look to spend less than $200/night on hotel lodging

• • Most (73%) prefer to splurge on experiences and limit costs on hotels

• • With sports, music and theater getting back in full swing post-pandemic, 26% of Americans say they plan their trips around these specific experiences

Hotels and splurging on upscale offerings: Hotels in Mind

• • More than 1 in 4 (27%) splurge on hotels or lodging and limit costs of experiences, with 21% willing to spend $200 or more/night on lodging  

Loyalty programs become key tools:

• • 41% of Americans said they plan to use hotel/loyalty program points to save money this summer and beyond; 30% said they are booking using a loyalty member rate.

• • When taking a road trip, nearly a third of Americans (29%) said they would pay for their road trip using loyalty points

International travel vs. the road trip around the U.S.: 

• • More than a third of respondents (38%) report they travel to feel more connected to and explore the country

• • 65% said 3 or more destinations make for an ideal road trip

• • Most Americans (67%) want to see tourist attractions when traveling

• • Many (57%) want to stay in a city or near a popular U.S. landmark when traveling

• • More than half (57%) of Americans listen to a personalized playlist while on the road, and 51% listen to the local radio

Preferred road trip companions: Hotels in Mind

• • Many Americans (64%) said they are road tripping this year because they want to make memories with family and friends

• • More than half (60%) of Americans want to road trip with their spouse/partner/significant other

• • 1 in 6 Americans (16%) would choose their pet over anyone else to travel with

• • Nearly 1 in 10 (9%) prefer to be alone on their travels

• • 4% would choose their co-worker to travel with 

• • 2% would choose a stranger

Self-care and “musts’ while traveling: 

• • 45% want to stay at a property with a pool   

• • 35% say they want to enjoy a hotel spa

• • More than 1 in 5 Americans (23%) say visiting the hotel gym is a must while on vacation  

• • 38% say being able to hike close to where they are staying is a priority

Work and play while traveling: 

• • Most survey respondents (76%) said when traveling for work they are likely to extend their trip to include leisure time

• • Most of them (86%) will also stay at the same hotel or hotels

• • More than half (58%) of survey respondents reported they’ve had to share a hotel room with a colleague on a work trip

Loyalty Perks and Hotels: Hotels in Mind

This survey, conducted in partnership with Harris Poll, comes as nine new brands with nearly 600 hotels, including Radisson Blu, Radisson and Country Inn & Suites, are now available to be booked on ChoiceHotels.com. Earlier this week Choice announced the successful integration of the Radisson Rewards Americas loyalty program into the award-winning Choice Privileges program. This enables the nearly 60 million Choice Privileges members to earn and redeem points at over 7,400 hotels across 22 brands in 45 countries and territories.