Goodbye, COVID: Americans planning for vacations, booking hotel stays for the summer

Americans are hitting the road this summer – and returning to hotels after the health emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

Most adults report being more likely than they were in 2022 to stay in a hotel (56 percent), take more frequent (55 percent) and longer (52 percent) leisure or vacation trips, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and conducted by Morning Consult.

“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,” said AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers. “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.”

According to the findings, hotels are the top lodging choice among those planning to travel for business (77 percent) and leisure (54 percent) in the next three months.

In addition, 75 percent of business travelers whose jobs involve traveling are likely to do so in the next three months, compared to 53 percent in December 2022/January 2023.

The survey also found that 51 percent of adults are likely to travel overnight for leisure in the next three months, compared to 36 percent in December 2022/January 2023.

Survey results on business travel

• 49 percent of business travelers say the average length of business trips is now the same as before the pandemic, while another 22 percent say it’s more than before.
• 47 percent of business travelers say the amount of spending their employer will cover on business trips is now the same as before the pandemic, while another 25 percent say it’s more than before.
• 46 percent of business travelers say the share of employees expected or encouraged to travel for work is now the same as before the pandemic, while another 24 percent say it’s more than before.
• 86 percent of business travelers are interested in “bleisure” travel, with 56 percent indicating they have extended a work trip for leisure purposes – sometimes referred to as “bleisure” travel – in the last year.

Other findings include:

• Hotels are the most popular lodging choice for those planning to travel overnight for the upcoming holidays:
  • Columbus Day (47 percent)
  • Veterans Day (46 percent)
  • Memorial Day (44 percent)
  • Labor Day (43 percent)
  • Father’s Day (42 percent)
  • Independence Day (40 percent)
• Higher earners, urban adults, and adults ages 35-44 are most likely to be interested in extending a business trip by a day or two for leisure.
• 53 percent of adults are interested in being a digital nomad, including 26 percent who are very interested. Digital nomads work remotely, either full-time or part-time, while traveling to new places.

The hotel booking index survey of more than 4,100 adults was conducted April 28-May 3.