Hotels.com research reveals that for younger professionals, business travel is far more than a job requirement—it’s a chance to elevate their everyday experiences. According to the latest Hotels.com “Business Trip Report,” 85 percent of Gen Z and 88 percent of Millennials say work trips are a chance to upgrade their lifestyles. The chance to stay in a nicer hotel, score a coveted restaurant reservation or earn rewards, makes traveling for business a pleasure—especially when they can share it all on their social feeds.
The survey polled 2,000 U.S. adults who travel for work and found younger road warriors are pros at making their work trips work harder. Key findings from the research include:
- More likely to pay for an upgrade: 73 percent of Gen Z and 77 percent of Millennial business travelers have paid out of pocket to upgrade to a nicer hotel, compared to just 48 percent of older colleagues.
- #WorkTrip Content Creators: Younger generations are keen to document their work journeys on social media, posting three to five times more per day than older colleagues while on the road. 75 percent say they’ll even self-fund high end dinners and entertainment to get better content for their feeds.
- The opportunists: Millennials are the most likely to arrive early and stay late—40 percent have taken a redeye to gain more personal time in the destination, and 54 percent say they’d like to extend a work trip to explore solo.
- Going the distance: Tokyo tops the list of dream business trip destinations for Gen Zers and Millennials, while London ranks highly for older generations. Gen Z professionals are five times more likely to want to go to Seoul than their Baby Boomer counterparts.
- Loyalty perks: 58 percent of business travelers say they make work travel choices based on maximizing rewards. Nearly half (49 percent) have used those rewards for leisure travel.
“Our research found that the number one reason Gen Z professionals like work trips is that it benefits their careers, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy them, too,” said Melanie Fish, vice president of global public relations. “While this new research shows big differences in what workers of different ages want, Hotels.com is enabling every generation’s priorities by offering flexibility in how they use their member discounts. The new ‘Save Your Way’ feature lets all travelers choose to save instantly at checkout or bank their discounts as rewards to use on a future trip.”
Membership at Hotels.com is free and comes with discounts and rewards. With “Save Your Way,” members can choose whether to save up front with their member discount, or bank it as rewards for future trips. Only on Hotels.com, it’s ideal for a frequent traveler who wants to choose how and when to use their rewards. Either way, members earn rewards on every stay.
The Upgraded Life
When traveling for work, Gen Zers won’t hesitate to spend their own money to elevate the experience. Compared to their older colleagues, they’re more than twice as likely to pay to upgrade their flights (62 percent vs. 25 percent) or splurge on high-end dining or entertainment during a work trip (73 percent vs. 38 percent).
When company policy allows, the upgrades don’t stop there: 26 percent of Gen Z would expense a spa treatment, and one in five would put work out classes on the company card. Millennials are most likely to expense flight or room upgrades and entertainment, while older generations expense taxis and private cars to avoid public transport.
Well Connected
Gen Zers are all about the buddy system as the most likely generation to want to bring a plus-one along on their work trips (50 percent), and nearly half (45 percent) would love to extend a trip to hang longer with coworkers.
Younger professionals also invite friends and family to follow along via social media, on average posting three to five photos a day while away on business. Most Boomers, on the other hand, post less than once a day—and 20 percent say they never share on social media during work trips. Among younger travelers, Millennials are the most share-happy: 47 percent say they wouldn’t travel for work if they couldn’t document it, compared to 34 percent of Gen Zers.
Bleisure Bliss
It's not all work and no play—travelers are using their business trips to live out their “bleisure” dreams. For 57 percent of business travelers, the chance to visit a destination they wouldn’t otherwise see is one of the biggest perks. On average, travelers want to spend three to four extra days in the destination after work is done.
Top work trip destinations vary by generation. Gen Zers and Millennials rank Tokyo, Paris and New York highest, while London is the top pick for Gen Xers and Boomers. Gen Z is five times more likely than older colleagues to hope work sends them to Seoul.
For more information, visit Hotels.com.
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