Hotel & Motel Management - May 19, 2008 - (Page 18)

18 Travel Trends IN THE details Weekend travel in demand Vacation length has declined Short trips to re-energize Saturday busiest hotel night H&MM May 19, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Weekend getaways appeal to full-timers T By Peter C. Yesawich H&MM Columnist he pressures of contemporary life are palpable to most adults who are employed full time and, in particular, those in the workforce who happen to reside in a household in which both the husband and wife are employed full time (approximately 60 percent of all “spousal” households). The resulting sense of “time poverty” has precipitated a gradual decline in vacation length and a corresponding surge in leisure trips taken over weekends. According to the results of our just-released 2008 National Travel Monitor, weekend trips remain the most popular for Americans, as revealed by their incidence compared to Trend watch 60 46% 53% 28% 2000 23% 31% 2008 40 20 0 Share of weekend trips 19% Share of extended trips Share of weekday trips Source: 2008 National Traveler Monitor both midweek (no Saturday night stay) and extended (5 or more night) trips. In fact, weekend leisure trips (4 nights or less, including a Saturday) now represent a remarkable 53 percent of all leisure trips taken by Americans, up from 46 percent in 2000. The decline in the popularity of weekday trips appears to be directly related to the increasing difﬁculty people have in getting away from work during the week. The trend also reﬂects the growing appeal of short getaways to abandon the pressures of work in order to re- Long trips represent almost 3 out of 10 American leisure trips. energize, if only for a few days at a time. No wonder Saturday is now the busiest night of the week in U.S. hotels and resorts. But the aging of the U.S. population also has yielded another very interesting phenomenon: an increase in the incidence of long-form trips (5 or more nights). These now represent almost three out of 10 (28 percent) of all leisure trips taken by Americans. As one might expect, this phenomenon is evident primarily among older adults who are semi-retired or retired, individuals who have the luxury of planning longer trips without worrying about the demands of what awaits at work. For more information on the Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2008 National Travel Monitor, please visit www.ypartnership.com. hmm@questex.com Peter Yesawich is chairman and c.e.o. of Ypartnership. He can be reached at Peter.Yesawich@ypartnership.com. CIRCLE NO. 128 SDCI 0169_HFB http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.sndcoffee.com http://www.ypartnership.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - May 19, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - May 12, 2008 Contents Hotelier of the Year Leads Team to Victory Sheraton Builds on International Success Slower, Smaller Transactions in First Quarter Perspective Legal FAQ What Women Want Sales Clinic AAHOA Update Franchise Law Family Business Travel Trends Guest Column HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Cleaning and Maintenance H&MM's 2008 Franchising Fees Guide FACs Evolve to Meet Brand, Owner Needs The Importance of Branding When Buying Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - May 19, 2008

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