Hoteliers' Dreams of Post-Labor Day Business Travel Rebound Fade
Data Shows 71% of Travelers Less Likely To Attend In-Person Events
Hoteliers in the U.S. had been pinning their hopes on business travel picking up after Labor Day, but those projections are dimming as COVID-19 cases increase nationally.
Hoteliers in the U.S. had been pinning their hopes on business travel picking up after Labor Day, but those projections are dimming as COVID-19 cases increase nationally.
On Marriott International's second quarter earnings call with analysts in early August, CEO Tony Capuano said many of its corporate customers were telling Marriott they are starting to get back on the road this summer. Other hotel CEOs expressed similar sentiments in their calls.
"We expect to see a step up in business travel post-Labor Day, as children go back to in-person learning and workers increasingly return to office," Capuano said on the call.
But new data from a national survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Hotel & Lodging Association show U.S. business travelers are scaling back travel plans. A total of 67% of respondents said they plan to take fewer trips, and 52% are likely to cancel existing travel plans and not reschedule. Additionally, 71% are likely to attend fewer in-person events.