Camping vs. Cruising: Choice Hotels Reveals What's "In" and "Out" for the 8 in 10 Americans Vacationing this Summer

Polls include travel habits, pet peeves and preferences among men and women

News provided by

Jun 23, 2015, 07:30 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), announced today the latest trends and habits among American travelers this summer season.

The full survey findings, including a snapshot of leisure travel and a breakdown of travel habits between the sexes reveal:

Choice Hotels International 2015 Summer Travel Survey Statistics

The vote is in for Hillary: Over one-third (36 percent) of Americans would want to travel with Hillary Clinton this summer more than any other presidential candidate. Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush round out the top three with 9.7 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.
East coast dominates the top travel destinations: Florida is listed as the top travel destination this summer, with New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in the top ten. 1 in 4 Northeasterners said they are significantly more likely to take a summer vacation after the harsh winter season.
A decrease in camping: Camping continues to decline as Americans list it as their least enjoyable type of vacation.
Top travel pet peeve: Americans plead for hotel room neighbors to keep it down as the top reported travel pet peeve (29 percent), followed by getting stuck in a traffic jam (20 percent).
Free breakfast takes the cake: 35 percent of Americans think complimentary breakfast is the most important amenity when choosing a hotel, with free WiFi in second place. WiFi held the top spot last summer.
Battle of the sexes: Men and women's travel differences include:
1. Men spend an average of $14.57 more on a hotel room than women.
2. Women are 33 percent more likely to spend time traveling after graduating college.
3. Men reported to miss their significant other 16 percent more than women surveyed.
4. For 1 in 3 women, their vacation starts after finishing work the day before the trip, whereas 1 in 3 men say it's when they are finally in the car/on the plane.
5. Women are 107 percent more likely than men to bring three pairs of shoes on vacation.
6. While both choose the beach as their top summer travel pick, women picked a national park as a close second while men preferred to tour a city.
7. Men have less tolerance than women for crying babies, with 70 percent of men choosing to sit through a turbulent plane ride than sit next to an infant.
It's all about the people: Of the 1 in 4 Americans that will be traveling for a reunion or wedding this summer, over 70 percent are more excited about connecting with the people than the destination itself. In fact, for 82 percent of Americans, who they are traveling with is their favorite part of traveling.

"This summer, Choice Hotels is encouraging travelers to get out and connect with their people, and with eight out of ten Americans planning to travel, Choice is committed to ensuring guests are welcomed, wanted and respected," said Pat Pacious, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Choice Hotels. "In fact, we are hiring an Ultimate People Person, whose sole job will be traveling around the country to local events to meet new people and share their favorite travel stories with their friends, families and colleagues."

Methodology

This study was conducted by Newlio (www.newlio.com) among a nationally representative sample of 1067 U.S. adults, using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of variation is measurable and affected by the number of interviews and the level of percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that the survey results do not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.7 percentage points from the results that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc.^® (NYSE: CHH) is one of the world's largest lodging companies. With more than 6,300 hotels franchised in 35 countries and territories, we represent more than 500,000 rooms around the globe. As of March 31, 2015, 615 hotels were in our development pipeline. Our company's Ascend Hotel Collection^®, Cambria^® hotels & suites, Comfort Inn^®, Comfort Suites^®, Sleep Inn^®, Quality^®, Clarion^®, MainStay Suites^®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel^®, Econo Lodge^® and Rodeway Inn^® brands provide a spectrum of lodging choices to meet our guests' needs. With more than 22 million members and counting, check out our Choice Privileges^® rewards program to see how you can reap the benefits of being a member of the Choice Hotels^® family. Visit us at www.choicehotels.com for more information.