Cambria Suites Research Reveals San Diego And Seattle Top Business Travel Destinations For "Work-Life Productivity"

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey* from Cambria Suites fielded by the GBTA Foundation, the research and education arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), reveals San Diego (74 percent) and Seattle (69 percent) as the top cities for business travelers trying to achieve "work-life productivity" on overnight business trips. According to the "Total Work-Life Productivity of Business Travelers" survey, more than seven of 10 (71 percent) business travelers say the key to achieving work-life balance is focusing on "work-life productivity," which means living their overall life more productively by focusing equally on personal and professional needs. The new Cambria Suites survey identifies 10 top cities for business travelers seeking to enhance their "work-life productivity" when on the road.

In a third place tie among the best cities for "work-life productivity" were Boston and Chicago, selected by 68 percent of respondents. This was closely followed by Orlando (67 percent), San Francisco (66 percent), Denver (65 percent), New York (64 percent), Phoenix (63 percent) and San Antonio (60 percent).

Responses differed according to age and gender. Older travelers (35 years and older) were more likely to rate Orlando highly for work-life productivity (70 versus 56 percent), while women were more likely than men to rate the following cities highly for work-life productivity: Chicago (79 versus 62 percent), Dallas (69 versus 54 percent), San Antonio (74 versus 55 percent), San Francisco (77 versus 61 percent) and Phoenix (75 versus 59 percent).

"It was exciting for us to discover these results at Cambria Suites, considering many of these cities are in our pipeline for future expansion, and we already have a hotel in Denver," said Mike Murphy, SVP of Cambria Suites. "I can personally attest to how great these cities are – I've lived in three of the top five - Chicago, Orlando and San Francisco. We look forward to supporting business travelers in enhancing their work-life productivity in these markets with the addition of a Cambria Suites property in each location."

The survey of 407 business travelers was commissioned by Cambria Suites, a contemporary, all-suites brand from Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), and is one of the first in the industry to explore how business travelers can achieve overall "work-life productivity" in an environment where cost efficiencies and outcomes are top of mind for business travelers. Respondents were asked to rate their top choices of destinations on how well they were able to achieve "work-life productivity" while traveling there on overnight business trips. The list of cities from which respondents could choose was based upon the 15 U.S. cities with the highest number of business hotel room nights in 2011, according to D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd., a leading U.S. consumer travel research firm located in McLean, Va.

Cambria Suites offers spacious suites that are larger than most standard hotel rooms, and includes separate work and living areas with ergonomic chairs, movable desks and luxury linens. Each room offers the latest in technology, including two flat-screen LCD televisions and MediaHub™ plug-and-play technology, allowing guests to connect their laptop, MP3 player, game console, digital camera or CD/DVD player hassle-free. Free high-speed wired and wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotels so that guests can stay connected.

All Cambria Suites hotels feature Reflect, a casual dining and gathering area serving a dinner menu, liquor, wine, beer, freshly prepared grab-and-go gourmet salads and sandwiches, a barista bar featuring Wolfgang Puck® coffee and a hot breakfast buffet; Refresh, a state-of-the-art fitness center with an elegant pool and hot tub/spa area; and Refill, a 24-7 convenience store that offers energy drinks, snacks and sundries.

Methodology

*Cambria Suites commissioned the GBTA Foundation to field an online survey of frequent business travelers between Aug. 1-11, 2012. The GBTA Foundation provided recommendations and edits to the questionnaire drafted by Cambria Suites. The GBTA Foundation programmed and fielded the study to a representative online sample of 407 frequent business travelers utilizing the population samples provided by ResearchNow. All analysis conducted with the data was performed by Cambria Suites. To participate in the study, respondents had to be at least 18 years old, be employed full-time and have taken at least 4 business trips in the last 12 months that required travel of at least 50 miles. All surveys have a margin of error due to the random nature of sampling. The margin of sampling error for aggregate results is +/-4.9 percentage points.

About Cambria Suites
Cambria Suites offers contemporary, upscale accommodations at affordable prices. Designed as a lifestyle hotel brand, Cambria Suites offers more than just a place to sleep at night. It features a larger lobby to give guests a more social atmosphere, all-suite rooms that are larger than standard hotel rooms and include a separate living, working and sleeping space, providing business and leisure travelers a haven to relax, socialize and network. As of June 30, 2012, there were 19 properties open across the country, representing more than 4,600 guest suites, and 26 properties in various stages of development, representing an additional 4,600-plus rooms.

About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises approximately 6,200 hotels, representing more than 495,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories. As of June 30, 2012, more than 375 hotels were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States, representing more than 30,000 rooms, and approximately 75 hotels, representing approximately 6,700 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in approximately 15 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide.

Additional corporate information may be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. website, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com.

Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Ascend Hotel Collection are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International.

© 2012 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.