According to the Hotwire.com survey, just under half (49 percent) of full-time/part-time employed American adults who travel for business have ever tacked leisure time onto a work trip, with younger travelers ages 18-34 (56 percent) doing so more than their slightly older counterparts ages 35-44 (37 percent).
SAN FRANCISCO – With the big convention season right around the corner, Hotwire.com, a leading discount travel site, revealed additional results from its third annual American Travel Behavior Survey, conducted online on its behalf by Harris Poll in October 2013 among over 2,000 U.S. adults. According to the survey, just under half (49 percent) of full-time/part-time employed American adults who travel for business have ever tacked leisure time onto a work trip, with younger travelers ages 18-34 (56 percent) doing so more than their slightly older counterparts ages 35-44 (37 percent), pointing to a growing trend of blending business and leisure – or “bleisure” – travel.
“You might have to travel for business, but it doesn’t mean you have to let much-deserved leisure trips fall by the wayside,” said Henrik Kjellberg, president of Hotwire. “Popular domestic business hubs like Atlanta see a ton of foot traffic during convention season. However, once the corporate groups leave – typically on Thursdays – hoteliers drop their prices for the weekend to try and fill rooms with leisure travelers. As such, you can spend a couple of extra days away to explore or relax in one of these great cities while taking advantage of affordable hotel deals.”
To illustrate the savings bleisure travelers can score, Hotwire has paired the difference in weekend vs. mid-week hotel rates with some of the most popular business travel destinations according to the Egencia 2013 Global Travel Forecast:
Destination |
Sample weekday deal on Hotwire.com |
Sample weekend deal on Hotwire.com |
Percentage Savings |
1. Houston, Texas |
$154/night for a 4* hotel in the Downtown Houston area |
$69/night for a 4* hotel in the Downtown Houston area |
55.2% |
2. Atlanta, Georgia |
$112/night for a 4* hotel in the Downtown Atlanta area |
$64/night for a 4* hotel in the Downtown Atlanta area |
42.8% |
3. Phoenix, Arizona |
$165/night for a 4* hotel in the Downtown Phoenix area |
$96/night for a 4* hotel in the Downtown Phoenix area |
41.8% |
4. Washington, D.C. |
$179/night for a 4* hotel in the Dupont Circle – Embassy Row area |
$108/night for a 4* hotel in Dupont Circle – Embassy Row area |
39.7% |
5. Philadelphia, |
$168/night for a 4* hotel in the Rittenhouse Square are |
$113/night for a 4* hotel in the Rittenhouse Square area |
32.7% |
*Sample deals are based on hotel bookings made on Hotwire.com on 8/20/14 and 8/27/14 for travel between 9/9-9/11/14 and 9/12-9/14/14, with the exception of Washington, D.C. which is based on bookings on 8/27/14 for travel 10/14-10/16/2014 and 10/17-10/19/2014.
2013 Egencia Global Travel Forecast US
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.