WASHINGTON – A new national survey commissioned by
the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) shows that
many Americans are not expected to travel this holiday seasons. Results show
that 72% of Americans are unlikely to travel for Thanksgiving and 69% are
unlikely to travel for Christmas, compounding the challenges for the hotel
industry during this public health crisis.
Business travel has been even more impacted. Only 8%
of Americans say they have taken an overnight business trip since March, and
just 19% of respondents who are currently employed - or 8% of all adults -
expect to travel for business within the next six months. Sixty-two percent
(62%) of employed Americans have no plans to stay in a hotel for business.
The survey of 2,200 adults was conducted November 2-4, 2020 by Morning Consult on behalf of AHLA. Key findings of the survey include the following:
- Only 3 in 10 (32%) respondents have taken
an overnight vacation or leisure trip since March
- 21% of Americans say they are likely to
travel for Thanksgiving, 24% are likely to travel for Christmas
- Looking ahead to next year, 24% are likely
to travel for spring break
- 44% say their next hotel stay for vacation
or leisure travel will be a year or more from now or they have no plans to
stay in a hotel.
“This holiday season will be an especially difficult
time for all Americans, and our industry is no exception” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel
& Lodging Association. “Fewer people will be traveling, and
business travel remains nearly non-existent. That’s why it’s so important for
Congress to pass a relief bill now. Millions of Americans are out of work, and
thousands of small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open. We
cannot afford to wait until the next Congress is sworn in for relief. They need
help now.”
“For those who are considering traveling for the
holidays, hotels will be ready to welcome you. Through our Safe Stay
initiative, hotels have enhanced our already rigorous cleaning protocols to be
more transparent and give travelers even more peace of mind,” said Rogers.
The hotel industry was the first impacted by the
pandemic and will be one of the last to recover. Hotel occupancy rates
partially rebounded from record lows in April, but they have continued to
decline since Labor Day. According to STR, nationwide hotel occupancy was 44.4%
for the week ending October 31, compared to 62.6% the same week last year.
Occupancy in urban markets is just 35.6%, down from 71.8% one year ago.
As a result of the significant drop in travel, more
than half of hotels report they have less than half of their typical,
pre-crisis staff working full time currently. Without further governmental
assistance, 74% of hotels said they would be forced into further layoffs.
Business and group travel are not expected to reach 2019 peak demand levels
again until 2023. As a result of the sharp drop in travel demand from COVID-19,
state and local tax revenue from hotel operations is estimated to drop by $16.8
billion in 2020.
Tags: AHLA
