Hotel Online Special Report
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According to 1998 Road Warrior Technology Study the Wait for Hotel Check-In  Averages 8.3 Minutes
Long Days, Long Lines, Little Sleep for Today's Road Warrior
 
NEW YORK - Oct. 9, 1998--Today's Road Warrior business traveler is working longer, sleeping less, and waiting in line for a considerable amount of time according to a new survey recently released by American Express Corporate Services.

The American Express 1998 Road Warrior Technology Study, a recent online poll of 546 business travelers who take at least 10 overnight business trips per year, found that road warriors typically work an average of nearly 11 hours per day on overnight business trips compared to an average of 9.5 hours when back at the office.

In fact, 78% of respondents "always or almost always" work longer hours while away. Practically everyone (98%) said they will "usually" work longer hours when on the road. Conducted by NFO Interactive, the study also revealed that the typical road warrior will spend more than an hour each trip simply waiting in line at the airport and hotel. The waiting period on business trips breaks down as follows:

  • Making Reservations (11.6 minutes)
  • Baggage Check (9.2 minutes)
  • Gate Check (11.6 minutes)
  • Baggage Claim (11.2 minutes)
  • Rental Car Counter (10.7 minutes)
  • Taxi/Shuttle Stand (8.3 minutes)
  • Hotel Check-In (8.3 minutes)
No Rest For The Weary

Additionally, today's road warriors are burning the midnight oil, getting less sleep on the road compared to when at home. On the average, business travelers only get 6 hours of sleep per day on trips. In fact, the respondents listed that the only opportunity to catch up on sleep is on the plane ride, since the typical business traveler will spend an average of seven hours in transit.

And there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel for exhausted road warriors as they expect to travel frequently over the next year. The survey uncovered that 66% of road warriors expect to take the same number or even more business trips over the next twelve months.

Yet despite the hectic activity of the typical business trip, road warriors still find a little time for enjoyment. The respondents noted that they were able to squeeze in an average of 2.73 hours of leisure activity per trip including entertainment, shopping, sporting activities and tours.

The survey also revealed that over two thirds of travelers stay in touch with home while away. Time away from home was labeled one of the worst aspects of business travel and 67% of road warriors surveyed always call home while away while an additional 19% will usually or sometimes call.

The 1998 American Express Road Warrior Technology Study was conducted as a means of identifying trends in technology usage for the frequent business traveler, gauging the largest problems and improvements associated with business travel, and assessing satisfaction with current travel arrangement techniques. The study was fielded interactively from the NFO//net.source panel, a subset of the NFO (National Family Opinion) consumer panel. This nationally-projected panel is comprised of 170,000 households that are online users.

American Express operates the largest travel agency in the world, recording $17.4 billion in worldwide travel sales in 1997. Through its Corporate Services group, the company counts more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500 as customers of its business travel and/or Corporate Card programs. More information on the full range of travel management tools from Corporate Services can be found on the website http://www.americanexpress.com/corporateservices.

The American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, investment products, insurance and international banking.

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Contact:
American Express, New York
Christine Levite, 212/640-3382
[email protected]
or
LobsenzStevens Inc.
Tom Nolan, 212/684-6300
[email protected]
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Also See:
YP&B/Yankelovich Travel Study Shows Travelers Want More - Not Less - Room for Carry-On / Dec 1997 
One in Three Travelers Do Not Recommend Their Travel Suppliers to Others/ Uniblobe Travel Surevey / Oct 1997 
Survey Finds Leisure Travelers Willing to Pay Fee for Travel Agent Services / Dec 1997 
Cornell Lodging Industry Study to Identify Best Practices in All Facets of Hotel Operations / June 1998 
Crowne Plaza Hotels Travel Index Surveys Today's 'Road Warriors' / June 1998 

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