FACT SHEET: Marriott Hotels & Resorts Global Business Trends in the Third Millennium

Survey prepared by: The Marist Institute for Public Opinion
Surveyed sponsored by: Marriott Hotels & Resorts

METHODOLOGY

The online survey of 1,207 business travelers was conducted by The Marist Institute for Public Opinion in March and April 2010. Responders were selected from members of an online research panel through Opinion Search Inc., an Internet hosting and sample management company. Quotas for gender and age were maintained in each country; 303 U.S. residents, 300 people living the United Kingdom, 303 in China and 301 in Germany were polled, while roughly one-third (100) of respondents from each country fell into each of three age categories: 21-29 (Gen Y/Millennials), 30-45 (Gen X) and 46-64 (Baby Boomers). For survey purposes, businesses travelers are defined as employed residents of one of the four countries of interest, ages 21 to 64, who have taken at least one business trip requiring an overnight stay in the past 12 months.

RESPONDER PROFILE

• Respondent Age: The average responder’s age in the U.S. is 41. In the U.K., it is 39, and the mean age of business travelers surveyed in China and Germany is 38.
• Number of Trips: German business travelers took an average of six international trips, while those in the U.K. took five and U.S. and Chinese business travelers made an average of three each.
• • Marriage Status: More business travelers in China are married (76%) than in the other three countries surveyed: 54% in U.S., 53% in U.K. and 41% in Germany.
• Children:  44% of Chinese business travelers and 40% in the U.K. have children younger than 18 living at home. One-quarter of German business travelers and 23% of U.S. responders do as well.

UNITED STATES

Economic outlook:

• Up or Down: 35% of business travelers believe their national economy is getting better; 29% believe it is getting worse; and 36% believe it is staying about the same.
• Job Security: 29 % fear losing their jobs in the next 12 months, and 40% are likely to look for a new job when the economy improves.

Work/Career Imperatives:

• Life Satisfaction: 92% are satisfied with life overall and 76% with their career path
• Giving their Best: 61% are satisfied with a good effort, even if their company does not come out on top, while 39% % are never satisfied with being second best
• What Counts: 24% want to enjoy work and have fun; 23% want work/life balance; 8% want to make a lot of money; and 32% want to make a positive difference in someone’s life
• In It For the Team: 50% describe themselves as resourceful, 44% as loyal and 41% as team players

Business and Leisure Travel:

• Necessity or Luxury: 64% of business travelers think work-related trips are a necessity; 72% enjoy it.
• Face Time: Business trips provide critical face-to-face time with customers/clients (82%); trips are not really necessary with technological advances (19%)
• More or Less Travel: Compared with two years ago, 35% of business travelers are traveling less for business
• Achieving Business/Career Goals: 32% say business travel is essential to achieving business goals and 27% say it is essential to achieve personal career goals
• Benefits of Business Travel: Better understand clients (89%), exploring new places (88%), learning global values and perspectives (74%), competitive edge (80%) and status among friends and colleagues (62%)
• Defining Business Travel: Mostly work (83%), relaxing (54%), glamorous (52%), dull (48%), stressful (46%), mostly play (17%),
• Mixing Business with Pleasure: 50% describe business trips as vacations, 47% like to bring a friend or family member along, 50% want a vacation from their business trips, 53% like to extend trips for leisure and 47% want to get the job done and get home.
• Worst Parts of Business Travel: Being away from home (37%), travel hassles (35%), spending personal money (11%) and working more than in office (8%)
• Work vs. Play: During business trips, 72% research local restaurants and hot spots, 63% connect with friends or family living close to the destination, and 29% use online/social networking sites to connect with or meet new people
•  Time Out: 50% say leisure travel is a necessity vs. a luxury; 38% say it is time to de-stress, 38% to spend with friends/friends, 20% to be adventurous, and 4% prefer to stay home.
• Pet Peeves: Proper phone etiquette (28%), respect for staff (22%), loud voices/TV from hotel rooms (16%) and unwanted small talk from fellow travelers (12%)

Generation gap:

• Crossing Generations: Top two descriptions of workers one generation younger: “frustrating” (29%) and “allies” (28%); of workers one generation older: “allies” (28%) and “motivating” (23%).
• Economic Outlook:  32% of Gen Y business travelers are optimistic about the direction of the U.S. economy; this compares with 43% of Gen X and 29% of Baby Boomer business travelers.
• Satisfaction with Salary:  Increases with age: 52% of Gen Y, 59% of Gen X and 68% of Baby Boomer business travelers are happy with their pay.

Environmental Consciousness:

• Eco-Friendly Hotel Services: 51% rate them a necessity versus a luxury
• Environmental Impact: 55% are impressed by hotels that minimize their environmental impact and 38% are indifferent, 3% suspicious and 4% annoyed

UNITED KINGDOM

Economic outlook:

• Up or Down: 33% of business travelers say their national economy is on an upswing, 37% say it is staying the same, and 30% say it is getting worse.
• Job Security: Business travelers in the U.K. are the most worried about job security among the four countries surveyed; 39% fear they will lose their job in the coming year, and 51% are likely to look for a new job when the economy improves.

Work/Career Imperatives: 

• Life Satisfaction: 88% are satisfied with life overall and 69% with their career path
• Giving their Best: 59% are satisfied with a good effort, even if their company does not come out on top, while 41% are never satisfied with being second best
• What Counts: 23% want work/life balance; 20% want to enjoy work and have fun; 12% want to make a positive difference in someone’s life; and 11% want to make a lot of money.
• In It For the Team: 46% describe themselves as team players; 39% say they are loyal; and 39% identify themselves as resourceful.

Business and Leisure Travel: 

• Necessity or Luxury: 69% of business travelers think work-related trips are a necessity; 66% enjoy it.
• Face Time: Business trips provide critical face-to-face time with customers/clients (72%); trips are not really necessary with technological advances (28%)
• More or Less Travel: Compared with two years ago, 42 percent of business travelers are traveling less for business
• Achieving Business/Career Goals: 39% say business travel is essential to achieving business goals and 31% say it is essential to achieve personal career goals
• Benefits of Business Travel: Better understand clients (89%), exploring new places (82%), learning global values and perspectives (79%), competitive edge (78%) and status among friends and colleagues (63%)
• Defining Business Travel: Mostly work (83%), stressful (53%), glamorous (52%), dull (48%), relaxing (47%), mostly play (17%).
• Mixing Business with Pleasure: 27% describe business trips as vacations, 47% like to bring a friend or family member along, 73% want a vacation from their business trips, 44% like to extend trips for leisure and 56% want to get the job done and get home.
• Worst Parts of Business Travel: Travel hassles (36%), being away from home (34%), spending personal money (13%) and working more than in office (6%).
• Work vs. Play: During business trips, 67% research local restaurants and hot spots, 58% connect with friends or family living close to the destination, and 43% use online/social networking sites to connect with or meet new people.
• Time Out: 52% say leisure travel is a necessity vs. a luxury; 38% say it is time to de-stress, 37% to spend with friends/friends, 20% to be adventurous, and 5% prefer to stay home.
• Pet Peeves: Respect for staff (29%), loud voices/TV from hotel rooms (20%), proper phone etiquette (19%), and unwanted small talk from fellow travelers (12%).

Generation gap: 

• Crossing Generations: Top two descriptions of workers one generation younger: allies (23%) and frustrating (21%); of workers one generation older: motivating (24%) and allies (23%)
• Economic Outlook: 43% of Gen Y business travelers are optimistic about the direction of the U.K. economy; this compares with 36% of Gen X and 20% of Baby Boomer business travelers.
• Satisfaction with salary increases with age: 69% of Gen Y, 64% of Gen X and 55% of Baby Boomer business travelers are happy with their pay.

Environmental Consciousness:

• Eco-Friendly Hotel Services: 61% rate them a necessity versus a luxury
• Environmental Impact: 55% are impressed by hotels that minimize their environmental impact and 38% are indifferent, 5% suspicious and 2% annoyed

CHINA

Economic outlook: 

• Up or Down: 81% of business travelers believe their national economy is getting better; 8% believe it is getting worse; and 12% believe it is staying about the same.
• Job Security: 13% fear losing their jobs in the next 12 months, and 51% are likely to look for a new job when the economy improves.

Work/Career Imperatives:

• Life Satisfaction: 70% are satisfied with life overall and 61% with their career path
• Giving their Best: 38% are satisfied with a good effort, even if their company does not come out on top, while 62% are never satisfied with being second best
• What Counts: 26% want to enjoy work and have fun; 14% want work/life balance; 14% want to make a lot of money; and 4% want to make a positive difference in someone’s life
• In It For the Team: 49% describe themselves as team players; 49% say they are loyal; and 38% identify themselves as resourceful.

Business and Leisure Travel: 

• Necessity or Luxury: 71% of business travelers think work-related trips are a necessity; 55% enjoy it.
• Face Time: Business trips provide critical face-to-face time with customers/clients (74%); trips are not really necessary with technological advances (26%)
• More or Less Travel: Compared with two years ago, 32% of business travelers are traveling less for business
• Achieving Business/Career Goals: 41% say business travel is essential to achieving business goals and 35% say it is essential to achieve personal career goals
• Benefits of Business Travel: Better understand clients (96%), exploring new places (91%), learning global values and perspectives (91%), competitive edge (87%) and status among friends and colleagues (75%)
• Defining Business Travel: Mostly work (72%), glamorous (70%), relaxing (68%), stressful (32%), dull (30%), mostly play (28%),
• Mixing Business with Pleasure: 54% describe business trips as vacations, 57% like to bring a friend or family member along, 46% want a vacation from their business trips, 66% like to extend trips for leisure and 34% want to get the job done and get home.
• Worst Parts of Business Travel: Being away from home (31%), spending personal money (29%), travel hassles (17%) and working more than in office (12%).
• Work vs. Play: During business trips, 74% research local restaurants and hot spots, 77% connect with friends or family living close to the destination, and 53% use online/social networking sites to connect with or meet new people
• Time Out: 56% say leisure travel is a necessity vs. a luxury; 42% say it is time to de-stress, 49% to spend with friends/friends, 6% to be adventurous, and 3% prefer to stay home.
• Pet Peeves: Unwanted small talk from fellow travelers (33%), loud voices/TV from hotel rooms (18%), respect for staff (12%) and proper phone etiquette (4%).

Generation gap: 

• Crossing Generations: Top two descriptions of workers one generation younger: “motivating” (34%) and “inspiring” (25%); of workers one generation older: “motivating” (28%) and “inspiring” (26%).
• Economic Outlook: Regardless of age, business travelers in China see a prosperous economy.
• Satisfaction with Salary: Little difference with age: 33% of Gen Y, 39% of Gen X and 36% of Baby Boomer business travelers are happy with their pay.

Environmental Consciousness:

• Eco-Friendly Hotel Services: 83% rate them a necessity versus a luxury
• Environmental Impact: 60% are impressed by hotels that minimize their environmental impact and 12% are indifferent, 24% suspicious and 4% annoyed.

GERMANY

Economic outlook: 

• Up or Down: 33% of business travelers believe their national economy is getting better; 33% believe it is getting worse; and 35% believe it is staying about the same.
• Job Security: 34% fear losing their jobs in the next 12 months, and 39% are likely to look for a new job when the economy improves.

Work/Career Imperatives: 

• Life Satisfaction: 91% are satisfied with life overall and 80% with their career path
• Giving their Best: 65% are satisfied with a good effort, even if their company does not come out on top, while 35% are never satisfied with being second best
• What Counts: 32% want to enjoy work and have fun; 14% want work/life balance; 12% want to make a lot of money; and 7% want to make a positive difference in someone’s life
• In It For the Team: 67% describe themselves as team players; 39% say they are loyal; and 32% identify themselves as determined.

Business and Leisure Travel: 

• Necessity or Luxury: 81% of business travelers think work-related trips are a necessity; 71% enjoy it.
• Face Time: Business trips provide critical face-to-face time with customers/clients (77%); trips are not really necessary with technological advances (23%).
• More or Less Travel: Compared with two years ago, 30% of business travelers are traveling less for business.
• Achieving Business/Career Goals: 34% say business travel is essential to achieving business goals and 24% say it is essential to achieve personal career goals.
• Benefits of Business Travel: Better understand clients (87%), learning global values and perspectives (77%), competitive edge (75%), exploring new places (72%), and status among friends and colleagues (66%).
• Defining Business Travel: Mostly work (71%), stressful (68%), Glamorous (54%), dull (47%), mostly play (29%), relaxing (32%).
• Mixing Business with Pleasure: 36% describe business trips as vacations, 42% like to bring a friend or family member along, 64% want a vacation from their business trips, 39% like to extend trips for leisure and 61% want to get the job done and get home.
• Worst Parts of Business Travel: Being away from home (36%), travel hassles (33%), spending personal money (11%) and working more than in office (9%)
• Work vs. Play: During business trips, 66% research local restaurants and hot spots, 53% connect with friends or family living close to the destination, and 35% use online/social networking sites to connect with or meet new people
• Leisure Travel/Time Out: Respondents describing leisure travel as a necessity vs. a luxury: U.S. (50%), U.K. (52%), China (56%) and Germany (45%); as a time to de-stress: U.S. (38%), U.K. (38%), China (42%) and Germany (42%); as a time to spend with family, friends and loved ones:  U.S. (38%), U.K. (37%), China (49%) and Germany (27%); to be adventurous, let loose: U.S. (20%), U.K. (20%), China (6%) and Germany (23%); something I do for others, I’d rather stay home: U.S. (4%), U.K. (5%), China (3%) and Germany (8%)
• Pet Peeves: Loud voices/TV from hotel rooms (28%), unwanted small talk from fellow travelers (22%), proper cell phone etiquette (19%), and respect for flight and hotel staff (16%).

Generation gap: 

• Crossing Generations: Top two descriptions of workers one generation younger: “motivating” (30%) and “inspiring” (30%); of workers one generation older: “inspiring” (32%) and “allies” (30%).
• Economic Outlook: Business travelers in Germany divide over whether their economy is on track. There is little difference in opinion among the generations when it comes to the direction of the economy.
• Satisfaction with Salary: Gen X business travelers (76%) are more likely to be satisfied with their pay than their younger (58%) or older (68%) counterparts.

Environmental Consciousness:

• Eco-Friendly Hotel Services: 75% rate them a necessity versus a luxury.
• Environmental Impact: 69% are impressed by hotels that minimize their environmental impact and 26% are indifferent, 5% suspicious and 1% annoyed.

Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International’s iconic business brand and flagship, inspires your best performance during travel and helps you work, relax and recharge in your own way, at nearly 500 hotels in 60 countries. Marriott continues to accommodate life on the road for discerning business and leisure travelers, offering warm, professional service; sophisticated yet functional guest room design; lobby spaces that facilitate working, dining and socializing; meeting and event spaces and services that are the gold standard; and expansive, 24-hour fitness facilities.  All Marriott hotels participate in the award-winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit www.marriott.com. 

The Marist Institute for Public Opinion is a survey research center at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Marist Poll has conducted independent research on public priorities, elections and a wide variety of social issues. Through the regular public release of surveys, MIPO has built a legacy of independence, reliability and accuracy. Its results are featured in print and electronic media throughout the world. Call (845) 575-5050 for more information.

For the complete survey and fact sheet visit here. 

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