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Janet Smalley, vice president of portfolio strategy and research for Marriott; Donald Semmler, executive vice president of global full service brands for Marriott, and Dr. Lee H. Miringhoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion |
Travel Agent was on location at the New York Marriott Eastside for the results of “Global Business Trends in the Third Millennium,” a global business poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and commissioned by Marriott Hotels & Resorts. The survey examined trends in the economy, business travel, and generational/cultural differences
Aside from crunching the numbers, Travel Agent also learned from Donald J. Semmler, executive vice president of global full servce brands for Marriott International, Inc, that the Edition brand, which includes partnership with Ian Schrager, will have openings in Istanbul and Waikiki.
The first important data we found from the survey was that half of U.S. business traveler respondents consider leisure travel a necessity. This comes on top of 64 percent of the same group who believe work-related trips are essential, as 82 percent say it gives their company an important edge.
Expect business travel to remain a steady market, as 76 percent of Generation Y, aka the Millennials, foresee more business trips in the their career, 28 percent predict more in this year alone. Meanwhile, 22 percent of overall U.S. respondents predict an increase in business travel this year.
In the era of green travel, an important stat worth noting remains the 51 percent of U.S. respondents who feel eco-friendly hotel services are a necessity, while 55 percent said they were impressed by hotels that minimize their environmental impact.