BETHESDA, Md. — May
18, 2011 – Dealing with higher gas prices and grocery bills
while waiting for
depressed home prices to rise, it’s no wonder an independent annual
survey on
vacation attitudes released today revealed that most Americans need a
mental
health break from the increasingly demanding daily pressures.
Three-quarters of
Americans who responded said that taking a vacation this year will be
important
to their mental health, and who could blame them. Among the reasons
cited,
thirty-seven percent will seek to rejuvenate their spirits and
forty-four
percent hope to relieve themselves of stress.
The second annual
survey, commissioned by SpringHill Suites and conducted by TNS, showed
that
despite inflating costs, they will not be stopped from vacationing to
get their
much needed mental health break. Two-thirds of Americans surveyed said
they
will travel the same or more this year than last year. For six in ten,
not even
gas prices will change travel plans, according to the survey, while 89
percent
will actually choose the destination before the vacation package deal,
a less
cost-conscious approach.
While on vacation,
two-thirds of Americans surveyed claim they will not check their work
e-mail, a
trend found to be considerably more prevalent among female than male
respondents.
Other key survey findings included:
- Americans
Are Savvy
about Basic Online
Tools: Although
most will unplug from work, more than half
will stay in touch with friends and family via social media while on
vacation,
and of those who stay socially connected, 89 percent will use Facebook. More than three-quarters allow online user
reviews to influence their travel choices. More than half of
vacationing
Americans use travel reservation sites and search engines to find
travel
deals.
- But
despite all the hype…Americans Are Not Yet Comfortable with Some Online
Travel
Tools:
Of those surveyed that own smartphones, 69 percent
have never downloaded a travel app. In
addition, only 11 percent of respondents use social media to find
travel deals.
- Americans
Seem to Have a Love Affair with Beds: When given a list of comforts from home they
will miss on vacation, a majority of Americans surveyed —57
percent—answered
their beds. Yet, when asked, these vacationers ranked the mattress as
the hotel
item they would most want to purchase, meaning perhaps distance does
not make
the heart grow fonder.
The
survey was not without a few surprises, including these findings:
- Despite
the conventional wisdom that
Thanksgiving is the most traveled holiday of the year, perhaps the
well-known
stress of travel on the big family day proves too much, as more
Americans surveyed choose travel on Fourth of July than any of
the five major U.S. holidays (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving and Christmas). Half of Americans surveyed will not travel
on any
of the five major holidays.
- While
it is thought that men are more
likely to worry about money, the survey revealed that 64 percent of women compared to 41 percent of men
report feeling guilty about spending
money on vacation.
- Unexpectedly,
hair seems to matter more to male vacationers
than females. While
only 28 percent of women get haircuts before going on vacation, 38
percent of
men responded they do.
- Different
regions of the country favor different techniques for cooling down
when their children get out of hand on vacation. Midwesterners
are more likely to yell at
their kids, Northeasterners are more apt to ignore them, and
Southerners turn
most often to deep breathing.
The
online survey polled 1,000 consumers between March 31 and April 5, 2011
and was
conducted by TNS, an independent research company, and commissioned by
SpringHill Suites by Marriott, an all-suites brand.
The
online panel was comprised of U.S. individuals aged 18+. Surveyed
respondents
were balanced to be nationally representative of the U.S. population
aged 18+.
Using the online panel as the full population projection, the margin of
error
calculated is plus or minus 2.1% at the 95% confidence level. For more
information and findings on the SpringHill Suites traveler attitude
survey,
please visit www.marriottnewscenter.com
or www.springhillsuites.com.
About SpringHill Suites
SpringHill Suites is ideal for business and leisure travelers who look
for
style and inspiration in their stay. Featuring suites larger than
traditional hotel rooms, SpringHill Suites makes it easy for guests to
spread
out and fully enjoy their space. Launched in November 1998, the brand
currently
has more than 270 locations in the United States and Canada.
SpringHill
Suites along with over 3,100 Marriott-affiliated hotels worldwide,
participate
in Marriott Rewards, the guest reward program that allows its over 30
million
members to earn points or airline miles for each dollar spent during
each stay.
For more information, visit www.springhillsuites.com.
About
TNS
TNS is
the global leader in custom market research delivering actionable
insights and
research-based business advice to clients around the globe so they can
make
more effective business decisions. TNS offers comprehensive industry
knowledge
within the Consumer, Technology, Finance, Automotive and Political
& Social
sectors, supported by a unique product offering that stretches across
the
entire range of marketing and business issues, specializing in product
development
& innovation, brand & communication, stakeholder management,
retail
& shopper, and qualitative research. Delivering best-in-class
service
across more than 80 countries, TNS is dedicated to discovering growth
opportunities for its clients in an ever-changing world. Through its
pioneering
and innovative culture, TNS understands the latest marketing challenges
and
research techniques, being the first to discover and solve new
marketing issues
for clients.
DISCOVER
– A changing world: New territories, new media, new opportunities.
TNS
is part of Kantar, one of the world's
largest insight, information and consultancy networks. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com
for more information.
Click here for Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:
MAR) company information.
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