More than Eight Out of 10 U.S. Adults Say They Want at Least Some Relatives
to Stay in a Hotel
DALLAS, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While most Americans are
still willing to roll out the welcome mat when hosting Grandma and Grandpa
at home for the holidays, a new hotels.com poll indicates they may not want
to extend the same courtesy to other relatives. In fact, according to the
second annual hotels.com Hospitality@Home survey, the vast majority of
respondents (87 percent) would want at least some of their relatives to
stay at a hotel during the holidays rather than in their home, with more
distant relatives being the most popular people to put up in a nearby
hotel.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/LAFRU1LOGO)
"From making up guest rooms to preparing meals, hosting a house full of
overnight guests can be exhausting and difficult, particularly if you live
in close quarters," said Scott Booker, chief hotel expert for hotels.com.
"To make the holidays more enjoyable and a little less stressful for
everyone, visiting family and friends may want to consider booking a hotel
room for their upcoming trip."
The hotels.com survey revealed the following trends:
-- Dealing with Distant Relatives. Relatives outside of the immediate
family were among the most popular people to put up in a hotel. In
fact, 43 percent of those surveyed said they would want their cousins
to stay in a hotel, and 42 percent would prefer their aunts and uncles
do the same.
-- Making Nice with the In-Laws. Parents with children under the age of
17 were more likely to want their in-laws to stay in a hotel for the
holidays. In fact, 46 percent of adults with children under the age of
17 in their household said they would prefer that their in-laws stay in
a hotel, compared with 36 percent of adults without children under 17
in the household.
-- The Parent Trap. Hosting parents during the holidays is less appealing
for younger adults than it is for older adults. Forty percent of
25-to 34-year-olds said they would prefer their parents stay in a
hotel, compared with only 21 percent of U.S. adults ages 45 and over.
The Cost of Hospitality at Home
With hotel room rates on the rise across much of the country, the
hotels.com survey found that many holiday hosts believe they too could
charge a pretty penny for their own guest accommodations at home.
In fact, according to the survey, U.S. adults believe their
"hotel-like" guest accommodations at home are worth $149 per night on
average -- an increase of $18 over last year.
While adults in most regions of the country feel their hospitality at
home is worth more this year than last year, Southerners actually feel
their "hotel rooms" at home are worth $22 less than they were in 2006.
The priciest "hotel-like" guest accommodations at home are in the West,
where residents believe their accommodations could fetch a premium of $161
per night. This year's survey also found that the best deals could still be
had in the Midwest, where residents said their accommodations were worth
$125.
FAMILY TIES
According to the hotels.com survey, U.S. adults would prefer the following
relatives stay in a hotel during the holidays instead of with them:
-- Cousins (43 percent)
-- Aunts or Uncles (42 percent)
-- In-Laws (40 percent)
-- Siblings (35 percent)
-- Children (30 percent)
-- Parents (28 percent)
-- Grandparents (23 percent)
-- Other relatives (11 percent)
RISING ROOM RATES AT HOME
According to the hotels.com survey, U.S. adults (by geographic region) believe
a "hotel room" at their home is worth on average:
2006 2007
National Average: $131 $149
Regional Averages:
-- South $177 $155
-- Northwest $109 $152
-- West $107 $161
-- Midwest $98 $125
NOTE: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to weighting factors or
multiple responses.
Survey Methodology
This telephone survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of
hotels.com among 1,008 U.S. adults (aged 18 and over) within the United
States between Sept. 6 and 9, 2007. No estimates of theoretical sampling
error can be calculated. For full survey methodology, please contact
Benjamin Larkin at (214) 303-6047.
About hotels.com
hotels.com(R) (http://www.hotels.com) is a leading provider of lodging
worldwide, offering reservation services through its own web sites
(including hotels.com and others), its interactive affiliate network
(http://www.IAN.com) and its toll-free call centers (1-800-2-HOTELS).
hotels.com gives travelers one of the widest selections of lodging
accommodations from traditional hotels to vacation rentals at more than
75,000 properties worldwide. hotels.com is an operating company of Expedia,
Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).
hotels.com, the hotels.com logo, and the Benny the Bellman logo are
either registered trademarks or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other
countries of Hotels.com, LP, a subsidiary of Hotels.com. Other logos or
products and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their
respective owners.
SOURCE hotels.com
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Related links:
http://www.hotels.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/LAFRU1LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/146591.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/915548.html /
CONTACT:
Maureen Carrig of hotels.com,
+1-425-679-7511, mcarrig@hotels.com
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