Embassy Suites Survey Focuses on Travel Mishaps

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This summer, nearly 2 million, freshly-minted college graduates will enter the workforce, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and many without a bit of practical experience to help them prepare for the business world. Despite today's struggling economy, the frequency of business travel has remained steady for nearly half of all traveling professionals; those brand new to business travel need and deserve the chance to walk into that first off-site meeting with enough business savvy in their back pocket to boost their confidence and help them succeed.

To assist these rookie road warriors, Embassy Suites Hotels today announced the results of a recently conducted, nationwide survey that taps into the mindset and experiences of business travelers and offers words of wisdom to grads just entering the workforce. Rookie travelers have this guidance and other useful information at their fingertips at BusinessBalance.com, a website loaded with tips, tools and resources to help all business travelers find balance on the road.

"Embassy Suites recognizes that business travel is hard work and that one slight miscalculation can ruin your trip," said John Lee, VP of brand marketing and communications for Embassy Suites Hotels. "By arming those new to business travel with useful tips and tools - and staying true to the facets that makes Embassy Suites a great business travel partner - we hope to provide them with a foundation to keep them on their toes and survive their first business trips."

Veterans Have All the Knowledge

Business travelers have the best grasp of the secrets to traveling successfully - they say that preparedness is the name of the game. Seven in 10 veterans advise rookies to always have cash handy for cabs, more than eight in 10 pack the night before departing and over half bring hard copies of important documents with them on the road (58 percent) or carry electronic copies on disks or flash drives (52 percent).

"For many college grads who have just landed that first job, being well-prepared for their first business trip is a great way to stand out," says Stuart Schultz, founder and CEO of Gradspot.com and author of "The Gradspot.com Guide to Life After College." "Having access to tried-and-true business travel tips, like those provided by Embassy Suites on BusinessBalance.com, can be the difference between a promotion and a disaster for college-kids-turned-business-professionals transitioning to the real world."

Even experienced travelers, though, encounter their fair share of mistakes and mishaps:
*    Thirty-three percent have spilled food or drink on their clothes en route to a client meeting; consequently, over half of respondents recommend business travelers always pack an extra suit.
*    Nearly one in four (24 percent) have mispronounced a client's name or referred to a client by the wrong name; to deal with the situation at hand, 64 percent apologized profusely to the client while three percent turned bright red and ran away.
*    While only nine percent of respondents have overslept and missed a meeting or business function entirely, 41 percent suggest setting two alarms for the morning of an important meeting.

Tools & Resources

As a result of the survey, Embassy Suites has created handy, specific materials to help first-time business travelers avoid the pitfalls of their predecessors. Professionals can also glean keen insights from experts on BusinessBalance.com.